A Surprising Calvert Mailer; Desert Sun Reporters Authorize a Strike–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Feb. 26, 2024

Indy Digest: Feb. 26, 2024

Here are three items—two newsy, one Independent-related—to start off:

• Ken Calvert’s mailer: About a week or so, I received an official U.S. House of Representatives mailer from Rep. Ken Calvert—which is interesting.

Why is this interesting? Well, members of Congress are prohibited from sending “official business” mass communications in the 60 days before elections—meaning the mailing blackout period for California representatives in the lead-up to the March 5 primary started Jan. 5, according to the Committee on House Administration. And this mailer was definitely sent well after Jan. 5.

The mailer’s back (non-addressed side) has a message from Calvert headlined “Making Washington Work for You,” while the front has photos of Calvert getting an award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and touring a guitar factory in Corona. It looks like it could be a taxpayer-funded campaign piece—the sort of “mass communication” mailer the 60-day rule is in place to prohibit.

I emailed Jason Gagnon, Calvert’s House press contact, to ask about the mailer. He responded: “The mailer you received was sent (to) fewer than 500 constituents and therefore is not considered a mass communication by the House Communications Standards Commission.”

In other words: The House defines a mass communication as “any distribution of 500 or more pieces of substantially identical content,” so sending 499 mailers, for example, is allowed, thanks to that loophole.

I wonder what made me one of the 499 or so lucky recipients of the mailer …

• The Desert Sun NewsGuild prepares to strike: The union representing the non-management newsroom employees of the Gannett-owned daily has announced that a strike may be coming.

According to a news release: “A supermajority of the journalists of The Desert Sun NewsGuild … have voted to authorize (an unfair labor practice) strike following years of bargaining with Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain. The Desert Sun NewsGuild is part of The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents more than 50 Gannett bargaining units, covering more than 1,000 employees. Journalists at The Desert Sun have been bargaining for an initial contract since unionizing three years ago, and their vote comes after the company’s refusal to offer consistent raises that reflect the skyrocketing cost of living in the valley, as well as its unwillingness to offer any protections against exorbitant health care cost hikes. The guild, which launched a strike fund to support their efforts, has also seen the company commit multiple unfair labor practice violations during the unionization process.”

The news release does not mention a strike date, and an email sent to the NewsGuild asking about possible strike dates was not returned as of this writing.

The news release was accompanied by a union “fact sheet” explaining how Gannett CEO Mike Reed has basically tanked the company since he became CEO. Click here to read it.

• The Independent’s new newsletter will arrive in your inbox on Wednesday: On Feb. 28, we’re launching a new events-focused newsletter.

Every Wednesday, Independent staff and contributors—led by Matt King and Charles Drabkin—will spotlight interesting and worthwhile local events happening over the next 11 days (the coming weekend and the following week). This is why we’re calling the newsletter, which will also be posted at CVIndependent.com, 11 Days a Week.

Watch for it in your inbox this coming Wednesday! I have no doubt that you’ll find it to be fun, informational and interesting. (If you get it and don’t like it, you can opt out with one click. If you don’t even want to get the first one, email me, and I’ll remove you from the list.)

If you want your event considered for inclusion, email 11days@cvindependent.com—and drop me a line if you have any questions!

—Jimmy Boegle

(Intro edited for CVIndependent.com on Feb. 27 to correct the Gannett CEO’s name.)

More News

• The Federal Trade Commission is suing to stop a supermarket-company merger that could have a major effect on the Coachella Valley’s grocery-store offerings. NBC News explains: “The Biden administration is suing to block a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons supermarket chains, saying the deal would lead to higher food prices for consumers. … ‘The FTC charges that the proposed deal will eliminate fierce competition between Kroger and Albertsons, leading to higher prices for groceries and other essential household items for millions of Americans,’ it said. ‘The loss of competition will also lead to lower quality products and services, while also narrowing consumers’ choices for where to shop for groceries.’ … Kroger, the second-largest grocer in the nation behind Walmart; and Albertson’s, the fourth-largest behind Costco, first announced the proposed $25 billion deal in December 2022. It was premised on the chains operating in different parts of the country.” Kroger owns Ralph’s, while Albertsons also owns Vons—and those three brands make up a whole lot of the area’s supermarkets.

• After last week’s Alabama Supreme Court decision declaring embryos to be children jeopardized the legality of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a lot of Republicans came forward to make it clear that IVF should remain legal. However, there’s actually been a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate to protect IVF—and Republicans aren’t doing anything to the support that bill. The Hill explains “Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) went after her GOP colleagues on Sunday, claiming their words defending in vitro fertilization (IVF) are empty after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week. … Duckworth said no GOP colleagues have supported her bill that would establish federal protections for IVF treatment, even after the GOP Senate campaign arm called on candidates to reject attempts to regulate access to the procedure. ‘It’s been crickets since the Alabama ruling,’ Duckworth told Martha Raddatz in an ABC ‘This Week’ interview on Sunday. Duckworth herself used IVF to have her two daughters, now 9 and 5 years old. She denounced the Alabama ruling Sunday. … ‘Let’s make it clear, Republicans will say whatever they need to say to try to cover themselves on this, but they’ve been clear, and Donald Trump has been the guy leading this effort to eliminate women’s reproductive rights and reproductive choice.’”

• Are you ready for another Gov. Gavin Newsom recall attempt? If not, well, we have bad news. Our partners at CalMatters report: “Conservative activists who worked on the failed recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 have launched another attempt, arguing that conditions in California only worsened in the 2 1/2 years since then as Newsom’s attention shifted to national politics. Rescue California, one of the main political committees behind the 2021 recall, announced today that it was pursuing a campaign to remove Newsom from the governor’s office before he terms out in early 2027. ‘We’ve got to do it again, because he’s a better governor when he’s under a microscope,’ Anne Dunsmore, a fundraiser and campaign manager for Rescue California, told CalMatters. ‘We cannot do this trajectory for three more years.’ Newsom defeated the 2021 recall, which was fueled by anger over his response to the coronavirus pandemic, by nearly 24 percentage points. Then he won a second term a year later by almost the same margin, suggesting overwhelmingly liberal California voters have little appetite to toss the governor.”

• People who use non-skin-piercing items like rings and watches to measure their blood sugar should not be doing so, according to the FDA. CNN says: “The FDA notes that it has not authorized or approved any smartwatch or smart ring that is intended to measure blood glucose levels on its own. The use of these devices can lead to inaccurate measurements of blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, and errors in diabetes management that can be life-threatening, the agency warned. ‘If your medical care depends on accurate blood glucose measurements, talk to your health care provider about an appropriate FDA-authorized device for your needs,’ the FDA said in a statement. … The FDA did not name specific brands but said the sellers of these unauthorized smartwatches and smart rings advertise using ‘non-invasive techniques’ to measure blood glucose without requiring people to prick their fingers or pierce their skin. However, these devices do not directly test blood glucose levels, the agency said, urging consumers to avoid buying them for that purpose.”

• Today’s recall news involves … some 2015-2020 Volkswagens! Car and Driver says: “Volkswagen is recalling 261,257 VW and Audi cars to replace a defective suction pump that could cause fuel leakage from the gas tank. VW instructions to dealers, included with the recall documents, describe the pump’s function as purging fuel from the emissions system and state that a seal could fail that lets fuel accumulate and eventually leak through the charcoal filter. The instructions note that customers with the faulty pump could notice problems with refueling, including fuel spillback or a nozzle that stops prematurely during fueling, and that passengers could notice a fuel odor from inside the vehicle.”

• Next up on the recall list: eye ointment! CBS News reports: “Multiple brands of lubricant eye ointments are being recalled due to a risk of infection after federal inspectors found unsterile conditions at the Indian plant where the products were manufactured. The recall by Brassica Pharma Pvt. in Thane, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, comes after a deadly outbreak last year of eye infections linked to artificial tears made by another Indian firm. Sold nationwide by retailers including CVS Health and Walmart, the latest recall involves four products by brands Equate, CVS Health and AACE Pharmaceuticals, according to the notice posted Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All have expiration dates starting April 2024 and running through September 2025.”

• And finally … a Canadian university is expected to remove vending machines because of … privacy concerns? Yep! CTV reports: “A set of smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo is expected to be removed from campus after students raised privacy concerns about their software. The machines have M&M artwork on them and sell chocolate and other candy. … Earlier this month, a student noticed an error message on one of the machines in the Modern Languages building. It appeared to indicate there was a problem with a facial recognition application. ‘We wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for the application error. There’s no warning here,’ said River Stanley, a fourth-year student, who investigated the machines for an article in the university publication, mathNEWS. … According to Invenda’s website, the Smart Vending Machines can detect the presence of a person, their estimated age and gender. The website said the ‘software conducts local processing of digital image maps derived from the USB optical sensor in real-time, without storing such data on permanent memory mediums or transmitting it over the Internet to the Cloud.’” Still … creepy!

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