In a historic moment for California, the State Assembly passed SCA 10, a constitutional amendment in favor of abortion and contraception, on Monday in a 58-16 vote. 

The bill, co-authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, as well as co-authored by a large coalition of Democratic lawmakers, successfully passed its final legislative requirement just three days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Abortion is health care and should be a private conversation between a patient and her health care provider,” Atkins said. 

“When politicians and judges force their way into that room, safety disappears. Friday was a dark day. Today we provided a ray of hope by allowing voters to enshrine reproductive rights in our constitution, reflecting California values and protecting all who need abortion, contraception and other reproductive care in our state,” she added.

Atkins and Rendon filed SCA 10 shortly after the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson was leaked in May, signaling that the Court was likely to issue a ruling that would reverse Roe v. Wade and undermine nearly five decades of precedent protecting access to abortion.

“With the court poking holes in constitutional protections, our rights are in free fall,” Rendon said. “SCA 10 is our opportunity to speak to California voters, who have strongly supported abortion rights, and allow them to enshrine this fundamental right in the California Constitution. I am proud to be its co-author.”

SCA 10 passed both chambers with a two-thirds majority vote, the only requirement to qualify for the November 2022 ballot, which does not require the governor to sign it. 

In November, voters will be able to decide whether it should become law, marking the first time California has given voters the opportunity to add the right to abortion and contraception to the state constitution, and further cementing California’s long-standing position as a national leader in reproductive rights.

In 1969, four years before Roe v. Wade, the California Supreme Court held that Californians have a fundamental constitutional right to procreative choice. Three years later, the state passed a constitutional amendment to explicitly establish the right to privacy. 

These rulings complemented the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which held that the constitutional right to choose is vested in the U.S. Constitution.

SCA 10 is one component of a slate of legislation introduced this year to protect and expand reproductive rights in the “Golden State,” including a package of thirteen bills from the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. 

Two of those bills, SB 245, authored by Senator Lena Gonzalez, and AB 1666, authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, have already been signed into law. 

Additionally, the 2022 budget agreement between the Legislature and the Governor includes hundreds of millions in funding for reproductive health services; the final agreement will be voted on by the Legislature later this week.

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San Mateo County has been ranked the healthiest county in California according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report 2022, placing him at number 36 in his overall ranking.

The results are part of an assessment of nearly 3,000 counties evaluated across 89 parameters in 10 categories related to the health of their residents, medical care, healthy behaviors, and health conditions, including mental health.

In this survey, each participant distributed 100 points among the 10 health categories and subcategories, assigning more points to the condition they considered most important.

San Mateo County is joined by Santa Clara and Marin counties, which are among the 100 healthiest communities, according to the document.

San Mateo County received the highest score in health, with a score of 91 after evaluating access to health care, healthy behaviors, health conditions, and mental health.

And while the national average life expectancy is 77.5 years, the county averages 85 years, while only 8.5 percent of the population does not have health insurance, when the national average reaches 11 percent, and the smoking rate is 9.2 percent, while the national average is 20 percent.

The Economy category also received a score of 91, given that the average family income is $109,135, when the national average is $58,759; the poverty rate is 6.2 percent, when the national average is 13.6 percent; however, the unemployment rate is 7.0 percent, when the national average is 6.5 percent.

The Food and Nutrition category, which tracks the availability and use of healthy foods in a community, as well as the prevalence of chronic diseases that have been linked to poor nutrition, received 90 points.

In San Mateo County, the prevalence of diabetes was 8.7 percent, compared to the national average of 10.4 percent; and obesity was 20.6 percent, compared to 36.2 percent in the country.

Public safety was rated 89 points, due to the fact that in the county there is an average of 209.1 violent crimes per 100,000 people, when the national average is 204.5; in addition, there are 0.66 percent of public safety professionals in the population, when in the country the average is 0.73 percent; however, the per capita expenditure on health and emergency services is 1,216 dollars, when the national average is 358 dollars.

In the Infrastructure category, the county received 84 points. This could be due to the fact that the walkability index score is 10.2, while the national average is 6.1; however, 10.9 percent of workers commute 60 minutes or more, when the average is 6.8 percent; while the population with access to broadband is 100 percent, when the national average is 96.7 percent. 

Education scored just 77 points after examining the strength of a community's education system and the educational attainment of its residents through measures of participation, infrastructure and achievement.

The high school graduation rate is 85.9 percent, compared to the national average of 89.4 percent; the population with a higher degree is 58.9 percent, compared to the national average of 30.6 percent; spending per student reaches $21,013, compared to the national average of $13,452.

On the other hand, the environment category reached 71 points and community vitality 50 points.

In the equity category, the county received a score of 45 measuring income, education, health and social equity to determine the extent to which all community members have the opportunity to lead productive and healthy lives. 

The racial disparity in educational attainment is 0.29, compared to the national average of 0.16; the premature death disparity index score is 0.054, compared to a national average of 0.041; and the segregation index is 0.25, compared to the national average of 0.25.

The housing category received the lowest rating, with a score of just 34, after tracking the availability, affordability and quality of housing in a community.

In San Mateo County, 36.3 percent of residents spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing, compared to the national median of 22.8 percent; the hours of work required to pay for affordable housing is 45.9, compared to the national median of 40.6; and only 5.5 percent of homes are vacant, compared to 16.3 percent nationwide.

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After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Redwood City's Fourth of July festivities return this year.

The city is preparing for a day full of free events for all ages. 

Festivities range from the return of the annual parade and the Peninsula Celebration Association-organized pancake breakfast, Chalk Full of Fun, a concert and one of California's most popular fireworks shows. 

Thus, the Redwood City Fire Department Pancake Breakfast at the main fire station on Marshall Street will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to benefit the Redwood City Firefighters Association. 

Breakfast costs $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children. Payment is cash only.

The annual Fourth of July parade, beginning at 10 a.m., will take place in the heart of Redwood City and wind through downtown, starting on Winslow Street at the corner of Brewster, and continuing to Marshall Street, Main Street, Middlefield Road, Winslow, up Broadway, and on to Arguello where it ends at the corner of Alden Street. 

The Independence Day Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature crafts, food, drinks, bands and children's activities covering several city blocks. 

Chalk Full of Fun takes place this year over two days, beginning on Sunday, July 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday, July 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Redwood City.

The July 4 fireworks show will take place at the Port of Redwood City. Food trucks will be available, as well as a live concert by The Fog City Swampers at the port access area beginning at 7 p.m.

The 20-minute fireworks show will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. 

Fireworks can be viewed from areas where there is a clear view of the sky over the Port, and from high points throughout the Peninsula. 

The Port has set up a public viewing area along the waterfront, adjacent to Seaport Court. Portable toilets and handwashing facilities will be available. 

It should be noted that barbecues and alcohol are not permitted, while personal fireworks are always illegal in Redwood City.

For those who decide to go to the Port, it is highly recommended to arrive early as the area is a private property with very limited public parking. 

Once public parking capacity at the Port is full, the Redwood City Police Department may, at its discretion, close Seaport Boulevard at Blomquist Street. 

For parking downtown, please note that Jefferson Avenue Garage, Box Garage, and the San Mateo County Garage will not be accessible during the parade. 

All three parking lots will reopen after the parade has concluded. 

The public is therefore encouraged to take public transportation to the event, as the Caltrain station is located in downtown Redwood City.

Among the restrictions, the placement of chairs, barricades, coolers, ribbons or other objects on the sidewalk or in the street for the parade has been prohibited before 12:00 a.m. on July 4.

“Any chairs, barricades, coolers, tape or other objects placed on the sidewalk or street prior to July 4, 2022 will be removed and stored at the Redwood City Corporation Yard at 1400 Broadway. Confiscated items may be picked up at the City Corporation Yard between 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. during regular business hours,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

It is important to know that fines for illegal use of fireworks and their application will be in force. To learn more about the celebration, those interested can give click here.

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The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in a sexual assault and robbery that occurred in downtown Redwood City early Sunday morning.

That's after a woman was walking home at 2 a.m. in the 2300 block of Bay Road when a man approached her with his penis out, the police report said.

After refusing his requests for her to go home with him, she said she called a friend and tried to walk away. Still on the call with her friend, the man ran up to her, touched her private parts and took her cell phone.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man, 5 feet 6 inches tall and in his early 20s. He was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans, had a “faded” haircut and spoke without an accent, the woman said.

Authorities are urging anyone with additional information to contact the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office's anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.

With information from Bay City News

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