Latest news with #AngeliqueAshby
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
California senator pauses bill to regionalize Sacramento's homeless crisis resources after backlash
A new homeless strategy for the Sacramento region has now been suspended after major pushback from county and city leaders. California Senator Angelique Ashby backpedaled on her bill, Senate Bill 802, after it faced big backlash from city and county leaders the day before its committee hearing. "I believe the spirit is there, so I am going to give them that time," Sen. Ashby said. The bill would have created an agency to oversee all the funding and homeless resources across the region, but many local leaders believed it would just add bureaucracy and disrupt existing programs. "I believe when we talk about local control, it's about local cities and jurisdictions managing their own funding," Sacramento County Supervisor for District 4 Rosario Rodriguez. County leaders said they are working on a plan with the seven cities within Sacramento to collaborate in a way that still allows each city to keep its money within its jurisdiction. "We need to create a system that has actual authority, that has public transparency to it and is inclusive of all of the region's leaders," Sen. Ashby said. Ashby has since met with city and county leaders and heard them out. It is why she put the bill on pause, but she is adamant she wants to be part of the conversations the leaders are having. She believes something needs to change to create real progress. Ashby said if they can reach a consensus on a plan, she will modify the bill and put it back into committee early next year, or maybe the plan won't need a bill at all.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
California senator's homelessness bill sparks backlash from Sacramento leaders
A showdown is brewing between state and local leaders over how to tackle the homelessness crisis in Sacramento County. State Senator Angelique Ashby authorized a bill that would reshape the region's approach to homelessness. But city and county officials argue her plan would do more harm than good, adding unnecessary bureaucracy and taking away local efforts already underway. On Tuesday, Sacramento city and county leaders held a joint news conference to voice their opposition to Senate Bill 802, calling it a step backward. "There's already a plan in place that I believe would have a much better outcome than to put another bureaucratic layer that only weakens the ability to get people the help they need," said Rosario Rodriguez, Sacramento County supervisor for District 4. Sen. Ashby's plan would create a new regional agency, the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency, to oversee all housing and homelessness programs throughout the county. She says the goal is to centralize decision-making, coordinate resources, improve accountability, and reduce waste. "If we do not work together, if we continue to be in silos, if we fear collaboration, we will not garner success," Ashby said when she introduced the bill last month. Under SB 802, the new agency would control all state and federal funds for homelessness, decide how money is distributed, and oversee decisions made by cities within the county. But local officials insist the county and its cities already work together to address homelessness, with programs tailored to each community's unique needs. "I believe that when we talk about local control, it's about local cities and jurisdictions managing their own funding," Rodriguez added. Opponents of the bill say they support regional collaboration, but believe it should respect local control and build on progress already made. "I plead with her to pause and bring everybody together to chart a better way and build on the partnership the city and county struck a couple years ago," said Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond. In response, Ashby argues the current system is failing, noting the county has received $400 million in funding over the past five years with little success in reducing homelessness. A formal hearing on SB 802 is scheduled for Wednesday at the State Capitol.
Malaysian Reserve
08-07-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
California Senate Committee Advances Bill to Expose Patients to Doctor Substance Abuse, Says Consumer watchdog
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Despite pleas from families throughout California, who have voiced their concerns about exposing patients to substance-abusing doctors, the Senate Business & Professions Committee advanced AB 408 by an initial vote of 7 to 1. AB 408, authored by Assemblymember Berman and sponsored by the Medical Board of California, would create a secret drug and alcohol 'diversion program' where the Board would send doctors who have substance abuse problems, instead of taking disciplinary action. AB 408 does not require disclosure to Medical Board enforcement staff, or consequences, for a doctor in the program that fails a drug test, skips a drug test, or otherwise violates the program. This silence about relapse by doctors who are actively treating patients is not limited to doctors who choose treatment voluntarily, as proponents claim. It applies to doctors sent to the program by the Board who would otherwise have faced discipline, including those found using substances at work, said Consumer Watchdog. KGTV San Diego ran this recent story about the secret drug program. The chair of the committee, Senator Angelique Ashby, voiced her reservations about the bill, mirroring many of the concerns raised by medical negligence survivors, Consumer Watchdog and the Consumer Protection Policy Center. Senator Caroline Menjivar also highlighted a troubling scenario: physicians under the influence could potentially arrive at work and, if discovered before causing any harm to patients, be allowed to enter the program. She said this raises a critical question – how many of these doctors might have worked while impaired in the weeks prior without ever being caught? Tina Minasian, an advocate for patient rights in California, suffers lifelong injuries inflicted by a substance-abusing surgeon who was a participant in the former confidential physician diversion program. She played a pivotal role in advocating for the closure of the prior failed Diversion Program. 'I can't believe that eighteen years later I have to take on this fight again on behalf of all Californians,' stated Minasian who testified at today's hearing. 'We gained too many protections in the past fifteen years to give them up. I lost everything when I was harmed and cannot allow another Californian to endure what I did.' The Medical Board's prior diversion program was abolished after failing five state audits because doctors who entered the program could relapse with no consequences and patients were harmed. To prevent this from happening again, the Legislature passed oversight rules called the 'Uniform Standards' and applied them to doctors in diversion programs. AB 408 exempts doctors from the law, eliminating oversight and accountability from the program. Consumer Watchdog has urged preserving those patient protections. The bill would allow doctors to seek treatment to avoid discipline even if they were impaired on the job. For example: A San Francisco doctor suspected of stealing drugs from her hospital was recently arrested after she was found passed out in an operating room shortly after she was scheduled to participate in a toddler's surgery. Under AB 408 the Board could send that doctor into diversion instead of the disciplinary investigation, treatment oversight and consequences for relapse that are all mandatory under current law. The bill does not require reporting of a positive drug test to the Board, so the doctor could continue treating patients while keeping diversion program violations secret and place patients in harm's way. Read Consumer Watchdog's opposition letters on AB 408 here and here. The former confidential physician diversion program was subjected to a critical sunset review in 2007 after five failed audits by the state and a critical report from an Enforcement Monitor revealed significant failures in drug testing and oversight. In response, patients stepped forward to share their harrowing stories of harm and loss due to the negligence of doctors in the program. The Medical Board of California recognized the severity of these revelations and terminated the program in 2008. That same year, a pivotal hearing on the diversion program was convened at the state Capitol. The chair of the joint committee announced SB 1441, legislation designed to establish Uniform Standards for Substance-Abusing Health Care Professionals in California. Passed into law in 2008, SB 1441 was a vital step toward rectifying the failures of the previous diversion program. It empowered the Medical Board with essential tools to monitor substance-abusing licensees and enforce meaningful consequences for offending physicians, prioritizing the protection of patients and fostering a culture of accountability among healthcare providers. In 2016, SB 1177 was enacted, which allowed the Medical Board of California to recreate a new physician diversion program that adhered to the Uniform Standards. AB 408 discards those consumer protections and reconfigures any future program in the image of the failed diversion program. AB 408 is expected to be heard before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15th.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Sacramento considers banning overnight sleeping near City Hall, regionalizing homeless approach
A former Sacramento city councilmember turned state senator is pushing for a regional approach to address the homeless crisis. This comes as city leaders are looking to ban overnight camping in front of City Hall. As she introduced Senate Bill 802, Senator Angelique Ashby was joined by people from across the political sphere, including several Sacramento city councilmembers, District Attorney Thien Ho and former mayor Darrell Steinberg. Ashby's idea is to combine the minds and money of local governments within Sacramento to provide shelter and care for people living on the streets. By working together, she said they will have about $417.2 million to work with. "If we do not work together, if we continue to be in silos, if we fear collaboration, we will not garner success. I am convinced of this," she said. "At the local level, I do not begrudge any of my colleagues this feeling that it is hard to let go of something you want to control." A representative from Sacramento County was not present at the presentation, but a county spokesperson gave CBS13 this statement: "Senator Ashby's SB 802 calls for major restructuring and was introduced less than 24 hours ago; therefore, County officials have not had adequate time to analyze a bill of this magnitude. The County values partnerships, collaboration, and shared responsibility as evidenced by our success serving the unhoused in our region. The Board of Supervisors is set to consider plans on a shared governance structure that best serves the region in August and allows for robust community input." This collaboration idea comes as Sacramento city leaders look to ban lying or sitting on the ground around City Hall between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. "There shouldn't be any reason for me not to be inside, but I like being outside during the summertime," said Deborah Dickson, who is homeless. Dickson told CBS13 that she has been sleeping out in front of City Hall pretty much every night for the past five years, since the pandemic. "This has become a permanent solution for a lot of folks," said Councilmember Phil Pluckenbaum, who represents the downtown area where City Hall is. Pluckenbaum is concerned about the safety of city staff and the community when leaving late-night council meetings. "This is not just about sweeping people from site to site," he said. "This is about providing opportunities for folks so they can come off the street permanently." The city started allowing overnight sleeping in front of City Hall back in 2019 under Steinberg, but the current mayor, Kevin McCarty, said it costs the city around $353,000 per year in cleanup – money he thinks could be used for resources. "It's difficult emotionally to deal with the reality that we don't have enough places for people to go, but we keep telling people where they can't go," said Sacramento City Councilmember for District 5 Caity Maple. Maple said they would need to do outreach first and make sure there is enough shelter space. "I think it probably should have been done a long time ago," said Hugo Cervantes, the owner of Cilantro's Mexican Restaurant on J Street. Some business owners support this ban, but also wonder where the homeless will move instead. "It has gotten way more dangerous for me, my staff and even for my customers," Cervantes said. Dickson does not see the ban as a bad thing and thinks it may be the motivation she needs to get off the streets. "I will get into shelter," she said. "It's the next step to having your own place." The Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness is calling this an "anti-homeless" policy. It said in a statement: "It's clear that Mayor McCarty is working towards no safe or legal place for our unhoused community to rest at night in the city of Sacramento. These anti rest, anti-homeless policies contribute to the 20–30-year gap in life expectancy compared to housed peers. This criminalization and stigmatization by leaders also leads to social isolation, fear, and even vigilante violence against our unhoused community as we recently saw here in Sac. When we need real solutions more than ever, our leaders first substantiative action on homelessness, will be to further cruel status quo criminalization through this expansion of its sit/lie policy at City Hall. It is clear there is no safe alternative, and folks will spread throughout the downtown core instead." Overnight camping is already banned outside state, federal and other city buildings, so this would align city hall with that. City council plans to discuss this possible ban at a future meeting.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
California bill would create regional housing authority to tackle homelessness
A first-of-its-kind plan to help end homelessness will be unveiled in Sacramento on Wednesday. Supporters say it's an aggressive approach to getting more people off the streets and into permanent homes. State Senator Angelique Ashby is introducing a bill that would take a regional approach to creating new affordable housing. The proposal calls for creating a new government joint powers authority called the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency. Mike Jaske with Sacramento Area Congregations Together says many homeless advocates have been calling for more regional cooperation. "The grand jury several years ago issued a report criticizing the homeless structure and recommending the JPA be formed," Jaske said. Right now, Sacramento County and its cities each have their own plans to build affordable housing that are not coordinated, and they are thousands of units short of the requirements set by the state. "You'd be hard pressed to find a jurisdiction that's actually on track to accomplish their numbers," Jaske said. This new idea would consolidate the region's housing needs into a single number, and housing tax money from the county and each city would be combined to help issue bonds and build more affordable units. The bill also disbands Sacramento's housing and redevelopment agency and its responsibilities would be taken over by this new board. "Senator Ashby should be applauded for taking a shot at proposing something that can be part of the solution," Jaske said. But Jaske says taking a regional approach still doesn't resolve the most pressing issue. "The most fundamental problem is not absence of coordination," Jaske said. "The fundamental problem to solving homelessness is insufficient funding. There simply is not enough money." Senator Ashby will be meeting with local government officials to unveil the details of the bill tomorrow.
