Forum | Friday, Jun 14, 2013, 9:00 AM

Supreme Court: Human Genes Cannot Be Patented

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court decided this week that human genes cannot be patented. A biotech company, Myriad Genetics, held patents on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. But the Court ruled that because the company had simply isolated the genes and had not synthetically created something new, the patents were not valid. The company argued that allowing patents on human genes incentivizes research. But critics said it would hamper science by raising the cost of testing. What does the decision mean for medical and scientific research?

The California Report | Friday, Jun 14, 2013, 8:50 AM

Biotech Industry Not Sweating Supreme Court Ruling

California's multi-billion-dollar biotech industry is taking in Thursday's landmark Supreme Court ruling on human genes. In short, naturally occurring genes are not patentable. It's a major shift for biotech companies -- but it's one they're prepared for.

The California Report | Thursday, Jun 13, 2013, 8:50 AM

State Bill Aims to Close Obamacare Loophole

Under the Affordable Care Act, firms that employ 50 people or more must provide full-time workers with health insurance, or face a fine of $2,000 to $3,000 a head per year. So what's to stop employers from cutting worker hours to force them onto either Medi-Cal or the new state insurance exchanges? One bill moving through Sacramento attempts to close the loophole for California's largest employers.

Forum | Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013, 9:00 AM

New Budget Boosts Education, Restores Some Social Services

Governor Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have reached an agreement on a $96 billion spending plan, five days ahead of the deadline to pass a state budget. Many Democrats had hoped this year's budget surplus would mean major restorations in services for the poor -- but they ultimately agreed to the governor's more conservative budget projections. The budget uses a controversial new formula to allocate education funding, steering more money to districts where over half of students are poor or learning English. The budget plan also partially restores mental health services and adult dental care for the poor.

Wilmington | Jul 23, 2012

Starting a New Life and Putting a Stop to Health Problems

Posted by Anabell Romero

“Good morning!” says Silvia Cruz as she greets women who enter her nutrition center. “It’s five dollars for a shake and the zumba class, or three dollars for the zumba class only,” she says as she’s collecting the money and putting it into a metal box. Five years ago when Cruz and her husband Roberto Garcia came to the United States, they never imagined they would have their own business. The couple has been married for 25 years. After living a comfortable and stable life in Mexico, Roberto abruptly lost his job.

San Bernardino | Jun 13, 2012

Unmet Need of Homeless Youth in San Bernardino

Posted by Bobbi Albano

Although they are difficult to count, Terrance Stone, CEO of Young Visionaries homeless youth shelter estimates there are 25,000 homeless kids in San Bernardino County at any given time. The California Homeless Youth Project agrees. "Homeless youth are highly mobile and often try hard to avoid detection and contact with adults. ... This means they are often not counted during annual homeless surveys." During 2008-09, 81,000 services were provided by federally-funded runaway and homeless youth programs in California. While these services ranged from beds to street outreach contacts, it isn't known how many homeless kids received no services. There are only two shelters in San Bernardino County for kids who have run away from home, have been kicked out or are living on the streets. Young Visionaries, which has space available to house just four children at any time, is located in the city of San Bernardino. The other shelter, Our House, is in Redlands and has room for twelve homeless youth.

Greater Oroville | Jun 12, 2012

BEC Investigates Dioxin in Oroville Eggs

Posted by Marley Zalay

In July of 2011, Community Correspondent Rachelle Parker wrote about Butte Environmental Council's (BEC) fascinating study assessing dioxin levels in backyard chicken eggs around Oroville. She outlined the history of the Koppers fire which caused dioxin contamination in surrounding soil and the original study by the former California Department of Health Services (CDHS). Dioxin is known for its toxicity and persistence in the environment. BEC recently held a workshop in Oroville about dioxin to educate community members about this issue. The intention of BEC's study was to gain a better understanding of the public's exposure to dioxin by eating backyard chicken eggs. Julia Murphy, Education and Outreach Assistant at BEC, explained that dioxin is linked to a myriad of negative health effects, "from hormone disruption and immune system dysfunction, to birth defects and cancer." But because we are exposed to dioxin from a variety of sources, it is difficult to draw a straight cause-and-effect line from the source to adverse health effects.