Efforts to repeal California’s new mandatory vaccination law have failed. Signed into law in June by Gov. Jerry Brown, the new law requires that all children be vaccinated for a variety of infectious diseases before attending school, closing a long-standing exemption for families that opted not to vaccinate due to religious or personal beliefs. The […]
Jerry Brown
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Brown OKs Pot Laws
Been holding your breath? Go ahead, exhale, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed those medical marijuana bills. The trio, introduced by State Sen. Mike McGuire and assemblymen Jim Wood and Rob Bonta — and then tinkered with by staff from the offices of many other lawmakers and Brown himself — introduce wide-ranging regulations to the state’s […]
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UPDATE: Gov. Brown Approves Right-to-Die Bill
Local doctor Michael Fratkin, who began the palliative care program ResolutionCare featured in the Journal here, emailed the following response to the news that Gov. Brown had signed the bill. Gov. Brown has signed in to law the ‘End of Life Options’ bill. That’s quite something and reflects an electrified social conversation that is transforming […]
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Right-to-die Law Goes to Gov. Brown
The California Senate and Assembly passed legislation this week that will allow terminally ill people to end their own lives with a doctor’s assistance, so long as Gov. Jerry Brown signs the bill. The bill will allow doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to people who’ve been told they have six months or less to live, […]
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UPDATE: Medical Marijuana Bills Pass
The state Assembly and Senate approved a trio of medical marijuana regulations just before deadline Friday. The bills were the subject of some last minute tweaking, and reports of stubbornness regarding authorship began to leak out of the capitol in the days before consensus was reached (read more about that below). The bills will go […]
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Chesbro Explains Lonely ‘No’ Vote
North Coast Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro was one of only two California lawmakers to vote against putting a $7.5 billion water bond before state voters in November that is being hailed as an historic, bi-partisan plan to rescue the drought-parched state from a future of water uncertainty in an era of climate change. Specifically, the plan […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Teenage Wasteland
A growing number of studies indicate that marijuana is, like, really bad for the developing teenage brain, according to a recent NPR report. At a point when the brain is streamlining — honing its ability to think critically, make judgments and remember stuff — marijuana use is hindering development. This is not just problematic for grades and […]
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Gun Owners Grousing
Were one to judge by the first moments of last night’s presentation on new firearm regulations, Humboldt County gun owners would appear to be an extraordinarily polite set of people. Dozens of them, many wearing mossy oak camo, jammed into Pacific Outfitters in Eureka, sitting in the folding chairs clustered around the stairwell or standing […]
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Liberate Your Growler
Freedom to enjoy your favorite beer — that’s Wes Chesbro’s (D — North Coast) vision of California. He’s calling for Gov. Jerry Brown to end the persecution against owners of growlers — those 64-ounce beer bottles — who just want a refill. Growlers are an increasingly popular way to get fresh-brewed craft beer home. Even […]