Democrats in California are trading fire over the end of an effort to pass single-payer health care in the Legislature this year.
The California Nurses Association lashed out at Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, who announced on Friday that the single-payer legislation would not advance in the Assembly in 2017. Rendon hit back on Monday, criticizing the legislation that passed the Senate earlier this month.
“Senate Bill 562 is not a serious discussion about single-payer,” Rendon said. “Senate Bill 562 is a statement of values.”
National Nurses United executive director RoseAnn DeMoro has unleashed a social media tirade against Rendon in the days since his decision to shelve the bill. DeMoro called the speaker “outrageous” and said Rendon would end up on the “wrong side of history.”
The nurses union has planned a pair of rallies this week to push their effort forward, or at least to exact political punishment on the Assembly speaker.