Indy Digest: July 1, 2024
A LOT has happened since the last Indy Digest arrived in inboxes early last Thursday evening. And in response …
Uh … I’ve got nothin’.
OK, yes, there is a lot say. A LOT. We’re living through a day when a minority opinion from a U.S. Supreme Court justice ended with, “With fear for our democracy, I dissent.” But for now, I am just seeing how everything plays out—the complete shitshow of a debate, the immunity ruling, the “Chevron” ruling from Friday (which significantly weakened the power of Environmental Projection Agency and other federal agencies), the France elections mess, and so on.
Today, I am putting aside my inclination to run around screaming, and instead, I’m focusing on some stories that you may have missed, given all of the chaos, that could directly affect YOU.
First up: The vast majority of people eligible for lung-cancer screenings aren’t getting them. The Washington Post reports:
Screening eligibility was determined using 2021 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria, which recommend annual lung cancer screening in high-risk individuals—defined as those with a pack-a-day cigarette habit for 20 years or more who are current smokers or have quit within the past 15 years, and are between ages 50 and 80.
The study sample of about 26,000 individuals translates to 13.17 million people eligible for lung cancer screening nationwide. Of these, just under one fifth were up to date with recommended screening. Older adults were more likely to be on top of their screenings: 27.1 percent of respondents ages 70 to 79 were in compliance compared with 6.7 percent of those 50 to 54.
Rates of lung cancer screening were lower in the South—with Oklahoma averaging only 10.5 percent compliance—where there was also a high burden of lung cancer. Additionally, state-level Medicaid expansion was associated with keeping current on lung cancer screening. The proportion of people up to date with their screening was higher among the 39 states that expanded Medicaid and those with higher screening capacity, researchers said.
Second: A lot of new state laws took effect today—and some of them will have impacts on your lives, big and small. Here’s a quick roundup from SFGate. I hadn’t yet heard about this one: “Renters in the state no longer need to save up more than two months’ rent to put down a security deposit. Assembly Bill 12 limits landlords of unfurnished residential properties to asking for one month’s rent as the deposit. Landlords with one or two rental properties, totaling no more than four rental units, are exempt from the law.” (More on these new laws below.) The Los Angeles Times’ also published a summary of these new laws; click here to read it.
Third: We’re now getting some clarity regarding some of the choices that will be on the November ballot (in addition to, well, you know, the future of the republic). Our partners at Calmatters have some information on competing state ballot initiatives intended to decrease crime:
Democratic legislative leaders Sunday night unveiled a ballot measure they say will reduce retail theft and punish drug suppliers who sell fentanyl-tainted products to unwitting consumers.
It’s designed as an alternative to a measure already on the November ballot that would increase punishments and roll back Proposition 47, which voters approved in 2014 and which reduced certain property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, provided that the stolen goods aren’t worth more than $950.
In a joint statement today, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate Democratic leader Mike McGuire of Santa Rosa and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas said the measure will improve public safety without returning to mass incarceration. …
But Democrats’ efforts have already drawn scorn from Republican legislators, who called the second ballot measure a “shady” attempt to confuse voters. Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher of Chico called it a “Deep Fake reform initiative” in a social media post, while Senate leader Brian Jones of San Diego called the bill “a blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people.”
These are weird times, and the next four-plus months are going to be pretty intense. We here at the Independent promise that we’ll continue doing all we can to keep you informed, and to help you make sense of it all … even if it makes no sense whatsoever.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Youth-Driven Rock: The Academy of Musical Performance Celebrates 10 Years of Education With the Annual AMP Summer Camp
By Matt King
June 28th, 2024
The Academy of Musical Performance, known as AMP, is a music-education program for students ages 8 through 18, who go through a number of musical-learning environments.
Alien Inconsistency: ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Looks Fantastic, but the Plot Is Beyond Implausible
By Bob Grimm
June 30th, 2024
John Krasinski came up with a cool premise, and it made for a creepy, strange theater-going experience. It still worked a bit in the second film—but it’s knee-slappingly silly in this one.
The Venue Report, July 2024: Flo Rida, Ziggy Marley, Paul Reiser—and More!
By Matt King
June 30th, 2024
A look at July’s entertainment offerings at various valley venues.
July Astronomy: The Planets and the Moon Line Up to Create a Fantastic Early Morning Show
By Robert Victor
June 30th, 2024
A preview of the skies’ offerings in July 2024.
The Indy Endorsement: The Overstuffed Bacon and Eggs at Shorebird
By Jimmy Boegle
June 30th, 2024
These overstuffed eggs are TALL, stacked with a swirled mixture of egg, celery, bacon, chives and paprika.
More News
• The Coachella Valley’s two members of the Assembly have joined forces to ask the South Coast Air Quality Management District what in the heck is going on regarding local air pollution. Assemblymembers Greg Wallis and Eduardo Garcia write: “We are hearing from our constituents who have expressed dissatisfaction with claims made by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) that air quality in the region is improving and returning to normal levels. Unfortunately, the reality on the ground is quite different. Despite assertions to the contrary, air quality has not shown significant improvement. The spring season, characterized by windy conditions, has exacerbated the issue by stirring up dust and clay deposits left behind in the wake of Tropical Storm Hillary. These unique environmental factors have resulted in elevated levels of PM10 in the air, posing serious health risks to the community. … We urge the AQMD to make this issue a priority and implement more effective measures to address the air quality concerns in the Coachella Valley. This may include increased monitoring, stricter enforcement of air quality regulations, and more robust public awareness campaigns to inform residents about ways to reduce exposure to harmful pollutants.” You can read the entire letter here.
• An update on the junk-fees law that went into effect today: Restaurants can keep adding non-optional extra charges to bills after all. The Los Angeles Times reports: “With little time to spare, a new law will allow restaurants and bars to continue charging service fees, healthcare costs and other surcharges when listed clearly for diners to see. The practice was set to be outlawed beginning Monday. On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1524, an emergency measure to exempt California food and beverage vendors from Senate Bill 478—a law that goes into effect in July and targets ticket sellers, hotel and travel websites and other businesses that charge ‘hidden’ or ‘junk’ fees. Before Newsom signed SB 1524, which was introduced in early June, restaurants and bars were included in the affected businesses, and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta had advised that the food and beverage vendors roll such fees into listed menu prices to avoid the possibility of legal action. … Numerous business operators in the service industry have been vocal against SB 478, which passed in October. They said they feared that raising list prices during a tumultuous year marked by closures and inflation would cost them more customers and support.” So these business operators are opposed to … transparency?
• If you’re a State Farm customer, brace yourself for a gargantuan rate increase. KTLA says: “State Farm recently requested its largest home insurance rate increase to date, a move that would worsen the insurance crisis in California but also signaled that the company may be in financial trouble. State Farm General, the company’s California subsidiary, recently submitted a request to the California Department of Insurance to raise insurance rates for homeowners, condo owners and renters in the Golden State. On average, State Farm General is hoping to raise rates 30% for homeowners, 36% for condo owners and 52% for renters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.”
• The latest entry on Jimmy’s List of Headlines He Does Not Like at All comes from Reuters: “Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic ‘unfolding in slow motion.‘” More details: “Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts. Many of them have been monitoring the new subtype of H5N1 avian flu in migratory birds since 2020. But the spread of the virus to 129 dairy herds in 12 U.S. states, opens new tab signals a change that could bring it closer to becoming transmissible between humans. Infections also have been found in other mammals, from alpacas to house cats. ‘It almost seems like a pandemic unfolding in slow motion,’ said Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania. ‘Right now, the threat is pretty low … but that could change in a heartbeat.’ The earlier the warning of a jump to humans, the sooner global health officials can take steps to protect people by launching vaccine development, wide-scale testing and containment measures.”
• OK, OK, we’ll talk about the debate. Normally, I would not share a piece like this, as it sounds like excuse-making, but 1) it was co-written by a doctor, and 2) it was published by MedPage Today, which I have found to be a very reliable medical news source. So, here we go (paraphrasing): Is it possible President Biden’s debate performance was due to him being whacked out on cold medicine? A snippet: “The most probable explanation for this transient period of cognitive impairment in an older person with a cold is a side effect of cold medications. If this is so, the hand-wringing should cease, and we should use the debate as a reminder of how common such reactions are rather than an indication that the president is chronically debilitated. … Journalists who have been beside Biden closely these past few weeks reported no such impairment, aligning with bullish sentiment from the Biden debate prep team. … (His performance during the first portion of the debate) was not just worse than the trivial gaffes we’ve come to expect from Biden; it appeared to indicate a clinical problem. As time passed, the fog lifted. He improved throughout the debate and later in the evening, engaging with people far into the night. The next day, he delivered a fiery speech in North Carolina without missing a beat. The short half-life of many of these drugs could explain Biden’s resilient post-debate appearances. Biden’s symptoms appeared consistent with someone suffering from temporary drug-induced cognitive impairment.”
• And finally … avocados are dangerous! Not to eat … but to cut. The Washington Post examines the serious issue that is “avocado hand”: “Thousands of people slice their hands and fingers every year while cutting avocados, and research shows that most of these injuries occur from April through July. Hand surgeons see these injuries so often that they have a name for it: Avocado hand. The injury typically occurs when someone holds an avocado in one hand and wields a sharp knife in the other. When the knife slips, or the person loses their grip on the avocado as they’re cutting it, the knife can slice into their palm or fingers. It’s not uncommon for people to sever nerves and tendons. In some cases, people stab themselves in the hand while using the tip of a knife to remove the pit. ‘I’ve treated people who’ve cut off a finger while slicing an avocado,’ said Eric Wagner, a hand surgeon and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta.” Be careful, folks!
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