SITUATION: The August 23 OWL Alert asked OWLs to contact members of the California State Assembly, urging them to pass SB961, a bill that will mandate that auto manufacturers include technology to keep cars driving at safe speeds. 

Excellent news! The bill passed on September 1! 

However, the bill has been waiting for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign it, while the automobile manufacturing industry lobbies intensely for him to veto it. 

ACTION: Contact Governor Newsom and insist that he sign this crucial, landmark piece of legislation to reduce fatalities from speeding drivers, hold the auto industry accountable, and keep California on the cutting edge of legislation which will no doubt lead other states to follow suit. 

Also: Share this message with friends, family and colleagues in California.

Click HERE to email our governor.

Governor Gavin Newsom
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA  95814
(916) 445-2841

SITUATION: Speed is the #1 cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco and statewide. California State Senate bill SB 961 will require Intelligent Speed Assistance in California vehicles.

The full Assembly will vote on SB 961 mid-to-late next week, so now is when we need to put the pressure on 17 legislators who are still on-the-fence about this bill. 

ACTION: Call or email as many of the legislators listed below and demand that they stand up to the auto industry to save lives from dangerous speeding. It doesn’t matter if you’re a constituent of these legislators: urge them to pass this crucial bill!

ALSO: Share this message with friends, family and colleagues in California

• Email Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (San Fernando Valley): (916) 319-2046
• Email Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (Riverside, San Bernardino): (916) 319-2058
• Email Assemblymember Mike Gipson (Compton, Carson, Willowbrook): (916) 319-2065
• Email Assemblymember Timothy Grayson (Concord, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill): (916) 319-2015
• Call Assemblymember Chris Holden (Northern San Gabriel Valley): (916) 319-2041
• Email Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (Inland Orange County): (916) 319-2073
• Email Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (Northern Orange County): (916) 319-2067
• Email Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria (Fresno, Madera, Merced): (916) 319-2027
• Email Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (San Diego): (916) 319-2077
• Email Assemblymember Brian Maienscheinn (San Diego): (916) 319-2076
• Email Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (Sacramento, Elk Grove): (916) 319-2010
• Email Assemblymember James Ramos (San Bernardino): (916) 319-2045
• Email Assemblymember Luz Rivas (San Fernando, Sylmar, and Pacoima): (916) 319-2043
• Email Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (Riverside, Imperial): (916) 319-2036
• Email Assemblymember Akilah Weber (San Diego, La Mesa, El Cajon): (916) 319-2079
• Email Assemblymember Robert Rivas (Pajaro, Salinas): (916) 319-2029
• Email Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley): (916) 319-2040

SITUATION: Seniors and people living with disabilities are vulnerable to the loss of their residences owing to the cost of rent. California Senate Bill 37 (SB 37) — the Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act — would provide subsidies to those in this demographic who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Grants will prioritize communities in which a high proportion of the renters face cost burdens.

SB 37 is currently “On Suspense,” meaning it requires recommendation for further consideration. The bill must pass the Appropriations Committee by August 14: ACT NOW!

ACTION: Please call, email or write to your State Assembly Appropriations Committee Members, urge them to get the bill out for a hearing and then vote yes on it. It is particularly important to contact Assemblyman Matt Haney, because he has the power to get bills out of the On Suspense phase. 

ALSO: Please share this message with friends, family and colleagues.

Text Matt at: (415) 606-9940, or click HERE for a complete list of Committee Members—including Matt Haney—and all contact information. If possible: CONTACT ALL OF THEM.

SITUATION: Thanks to the efforts of many supporters—including OWL-SF Members—Laguna Honda Hospital has resumed the admission of patients. However, the 2-to-a-bathroom rule threatens to eliminate 120 beds, and a waiver of this rule is needed in order to prevent such a drastic cut. 

Now is the time to focus on asking the SFDPH/City Attorney to apply for a waiver of the 2-to-a-bathroom rule so that Laguna Honda can care for more patients. 

ACTION: Contact Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of SFDPH, and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and urge them to make good on their promises to apply for the waiver, and keep crucial beds available at Laguna Honda.

ALSO: Share this message with friends, family and colleagues in San Francisco.

Director Department of Public Health
Dr. Grant Colfax
101 Grove Street San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 255-3525
grant.colfax@sfgov.org

Office of the City Attorney
City Hall, Room 234
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-4700 Phone
cityattorney@sfcityatty.org

STOP AT&T’s EFFORTS TO SUBVERT THE CPUC RULING
PRECLUDING THEM FROM ABANDONING
CALIFORNIA LANDLINE PHONE NETWORKS 

SITUATION: AT&T petitioned the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for permission to abandon their mandatory role as carrier of last resort for California landline phone networks.
 
On June 20, the CPUC denied the request. So now AT&T is using an unfortunate California legislative process called “gut and amend” to subvert the CPUC ruling.  
 
Assembly Bill 2797—originally about horse racing—is now a bill about telephone landlines. The bill is currently in the Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee, and is scheduled for a hearing on July 2.
 
ACTION: Contact the Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee and your State Senator before July 2nd and tell them not to let AT&T abandon California landline networks and to vote against AB2797.
 
And please share this message with friends, family and colleagues in the state of California.

Contacts: 

California State Senate
Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee
1021 O Street, Room 3350
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4107
 
Senator Steven Bradford, Committee Chair
1021 O Street, Suite 7210
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4035

Click HERE to identify and locate your California State Senator.

SITUATION: At long last due to the tireless efforts of OWL and SF Gray Panthers Member, Dr. Teresa Palmer and many others, City officials announced on June 20th that Federal officials have approved the 156-year-old public nursing facility Laguna Honda for Medicare recertification. (MediCal recertification was granted earlier.)

This is great news, BUT there are many unanswered and extremely relevant questions. 

Now we need the Mayor and Department of Public Health/Laguna Honda Leaders to tell us:

1. When will admissions resume (and if not why not)?
2. Any way back for all those San Franciscans sent out of county because LHH was not available? (A required report on out of county transfers for 2023 is way overdue—supposedly will be out July 1). 
3. Is preventing the loss of 120 beds on the radar still? San Franciscans need those beds.

ACTION: Contact Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors and tell them to call a Special Meeting to address these unanswered questions and others. 

London Breed:
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
1 Dr Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 200
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-6141

Click HERE to find contact information for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Click HERE for a sample letter to send.

Don’t Lock Nursing Home and Long Term Care Facility Residents Away From Loved Ones During A Public Health Emergency

SITUATION: Data shows that no one suffered more during the Covid pandemic than elders and disabled individuals in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. They disproportionately died from COVID and were isolated because they were unable to see relatives.

Let’s learn from our mistakes and fix this before the next public health emergency.   

California State bill AB 2075—which passed the Assembly on May 23—guarantees that nursing home and long-term-care facility residents will have access to a designated family member, friend, or care provider during a public health emergency. Each would follow the same safety protocols as the facility’s staff. 

AB 2075 is now set for hearing by the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday June 19 at 1:30 p.m. 

ACTION: Contact the Senate Health Committee and your State Senator and voice your support for AB 2075. (See below for contact info and letter examples.)

And please share this message with friends, family and colleagues in the state of California.

California State Senate Health Committee *
1021 O Street, Room 3310
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4111
SHEA.Committee@senate.ca.gov
Website: https://shea.senate.ca.gov/committeehome

HERE is one example of a letter to send. HERE is another.

* State Senator Scott Wiener is a member of the Senate Health Committee.

SITUATION: Data shows that private-equity ownership in the healthcare industry has more than doubled in the last decade, often leading to higher healthcare costs, poor quality, and less access to care.  

AB 3129—which was passed in the California State Assembly on May 21 and is now in the Senate Health Committee—will strengthen state prohibitions against private equity group abuses in healthcare.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) introduced AB 3129, authorizing the A.G. to grant, deny, or impose conditions to a change of control or an acquisition between a private equity group or hedge fund, and a healthcare facility or provider group. AB 3129 will also reinforce the existing bar on the corporate practice of medicine, including the bar on the interference of private equity groups or hedge funds in the treatment of patients.
 

Without proper enforcement, predatory practices will continue to consolidate our healthcare system, driving up prices, reducing quality of care, and restricting access for patients.  
 

ACTION: Contact your State Senator and voice your support for AB 3129. Contact friends and family who vote in California and urge them to contact their representatives.

And please share this message with friends, family and colleagues in the state of California. 

SITUATION: An OWL-SF Member recently received notification that her personal information was included in a huge breach of data by AT&T.

In March, 2024 an AT&T data breach exposed data from 7.6 million current customers and 65.4 million former account holders on the dark web. The data leaked online includes personal information such as email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, social security numbers (SSNs), AT&T account numbers and passcodes. Fraudsters can use information exposed in this breach to commit synthetic identity theft.

IMMEDIATE ACTION—do this NOW:

• Click HERE to place a Fraud Alert on Equifax. This will be free of charge if you make sure to mention you are doing it in response to the AT&Tdata breach.
• Click HERE to notify the Office of Inspector General of the Social Security Administration; or call (800) 269-0271.
• Click HERE to contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the breach and start a recovery plan.

AND: Send this information to your friends everywhere. 73 million is a lot of people.

SITUATION: As housing costs rise, older adults and adults with disabilities living in California on a fixed income are at higher risk for experiencing severe rental cost burden. Older adults and those with disabilities—especially those without families to call on—are thus more at risk for homelessness.

State Senate Bill SB37 would provide housing subsidies to older adults and adults with disabilities, who are experiencing such burden and possible risk of homelessness. Rental subsidies could also make it possible for many living in overburdened nursing facilities and who wish to live independently to return to the community.

ACTION: Contact your senator and voice your support for SB37, which makes it possible for many older adults to expand their choices and continue to live independently in the community. Contact friends and family who vote in California and urge them to contact their representatives.

Click HERE to identify your California State Senator, and find their contact information.

SITUATION:  City College has traditionally been a resource for all San Franciscans, but in 2019 90% of the offerings from the Older Adults Department were eliminated. 

Older Women’s League-SF has always been a strong supporter of City College and applauds the opportunities that CCSF has offered to younger people, but today we  are asking, “Why have you forgotten Older Adults?” 

The importance of lifelong learning, having an active mind, socialization, and community engagement are well known preventative steps to increase health and even longevity. These things are lost when City College cuts classes for Older Adults.
 
ACTION: Email or call the Board of Trustees and the CCSF Chancellor demanding restoration of programs for Older Adults. Remind officials that overlooking older adults is not only unjust, but that it hurts the entire community.

ALSO: Please share this message with friends, family and colleagues.
 
CCSF CONTACT INFO: 

CHANCELLOR
David Martin: dmartin@ccsf.edu.   Phone: 415-239-3303

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Alan Wong, President: alanwong@ccsf.edu
Aliya Chisti: achisti@ccsf.edu
Murrell Greetn: murrellgreen@ccsf.edu
Anita Martinez, Vice President: anitamartinez@ccsf.edu
Susan Solomon: ssolomon@ccsf.edu
Vick Van Chung: vchung@ccsf.edu
Shanell Williams: swilliams@ccsf.edu
Heather Brandt, Student Trustee: studenttrustee@mail.ccsf.edu

SITUATION:  Medigap is an extra insurance policy that Medicare recipients can buy to help pay out-of-pocket costs not covered by Medicare. Presently, if an enrollee does not purchase a Medigap plan during their initial Medicare enrollment period, signing up for it later is difficult and more costly.

CASB 1236 creates open enrollment opportunities for Medicare beneficiaries to choose a Medigap policy between January 1 and March 31 annually—the same time frame for signing up for Medicare Advantage plans and others. 

This bill will have its first hearing April 24 at 1:30 in the Senate Health Committee.

ACTION:
1) Call your CA Senate member this week and ask them to support SB 1236!!!
Senator Scott Wiener: (916) 651-4011.
Click HERE to locate State Senators outside of San Francisco.
2) Email the Senate Health committee this week and ask them to forward your comments to the Senate Health Committee members. Email them here: SHEA.Committee@senate.ca.gov
3) Share this message with friends, family and colleagues in California.

You can watch or listen to hearing on April 24, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. HERE.