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Mihalovich,\u003c/a> CalMatters","isLoading":false},"byline_news_12008143":{"type":"authors","id":"byline_news_12008143","meta":{"override":true},"slug":"byline_news_12008143","name":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/colin-lecher/\">Colin Lecher\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/tomas-apodaca/\">Tomas Apodaca\u003c/a>, CalMatters","isLoading":false}},"breakingNewsReducer":{},"campaignFinanceReducer":{},"pagesReducer":{},"postsReducer":{"stream_live":{"type":"live","id":"stream_live","audioUrl":"https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio","title":"Live Stream","excerpt":"Live Stream information currently unavailable.","link":"/radio","featImg":"","label":{"name":"KQED Live","link":"/"}},"stream_kqedNewscast":{"type":"posts","id":"stream_kqedNewscast","audioUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1","title":"KQED Newscast","featImg":"","label":{"name":"88.5 FM","link":"/"}},"news_12010914":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12010914","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12010914","score":null,"sort":[1729803612000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"we-wont-commit-to-certifying-election-results-say-most-california-gop-congressmembers","title":"We Won't Commit to Certifying Election Results, Say Most California GOP Congressmembers","publishDate":1729803612,"format":"standard","headTitle":"We Won’t Commit to Certifying Election Results, Say Most California GOP Congressmembers | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>In January 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/congress-electoral-college-count-tracker/\">seven of the 11 California Republicans in Congress\u003c/a> refused to certify the 2020 presidential election results, boosting former President Donald Trump’s false claim that he lost in a rigged vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, as Trump attempts a return to the White House, only a third of California’s Republican U.S. representatives have pledged to certify the results this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only four of the 12 GOP incumbents — who are all seeking another term — have promised to uphold the election results. Of the three GOP challengers in California’s most competitive districts, two — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009870/dave-min-scott-baugh-vie-for-competitive-orange-county-house-seat\">Scott Baugh in Orange County\u003c/a> and Kevin Lincoln in the Central Valley — made the same pledge in response to a CalMatters inquiry. And in California’s U.S. Senate race, GOP candidate Steve Garvey made the commitment in \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/02/senate-debate-california/\">February\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refusal to commit by most GOP congressional candidates comes as Trump and his allies are already casting doubt on the outcome of the November election, stoking fear among election officials of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/election-workers-2024-threats-security-police-trump-kamala-biden-steal-c4f27414a5a90b67983b0349a370dd13\">disruptions and violence\u003c/a>. Trump has peddled unsubstantiated claims about widespread \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/09/politics/republicans-noncitizen-voting-elections-trump/index.html\">voting by non-citizens\u003c/a>, argued that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kamala-harris\">Vice President Kamala Harris\u003c/a> will \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/politics/fact-check-trump-election-lies-2024/index.html\">only win if the Democrats cheat\u003c/a> and questioned the constitutionality of Democrats replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote by Congress to count all electoral votes that are already certified by each state is the final step in electing a president. Usually a formality, it was anything but after Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Early the next morning, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/congress-electoral-college-count-tracker/\">147 Republican members of Congress\u003c/a> voted to object to the counting of Electoral College votes from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count\">either Arizona or Pennsylvania, or both\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All 44 California Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate at the time voted to certify the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eight of California’s current Republican members of Congress were in office, but only Rep. Young Kim — who \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-13/orange-county-house-election-results-young-kim-wins\">flipped her northern Orange County seat in 2020\u003c/a> — voted to certify the results without casting doubt on the election outcome. “The constitution does not give Congress the authority to overturn elections. To take such action would undermine the authority of the states,” she said in a \u003ca href=\"https://youngkim.house.gov/2021/01/05/young-kim-statement-joint-session-congress/\">statement \u003c/a>in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told CalMatters she plans to uphold the results of this election as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12010969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12010969\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young Kim talking to Republicans at the California GOP Convention in Indian Wells in 2019. (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rep. Tom McClintock was the only other California Republican to vote to certify the election. But \u003ca href=\"https://mcclintock.house.gov/newsroom/columns/respecting-an-imperfect-system\">he said\u003c/a> it was because he believed Congress did not have the constitutional authority to reject the electoral votes — not because he didn’t have concerns about how the election was conducted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December 2020, however, McClintock was one of four California Republicans in Congress to file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163550/20201211132250339_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20126%20Representatives%20--%20corrected.pdf\">challenge the election outcome in Pennsylvania\u003c/a>, arguing that mail balloting “invites fraud and incubates suspicion of fraud” and claiming that “ballot harvesters” collected ballots with “no chain of custody.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-usa-mules-idUSL2N2XJ0OQ/\">Multiple fact checks\u003c/a> found \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-false-claims-debunked-2020-election-jan-6-riot-2022-01-06/\">no evidence\u003c/a> that there was widespread ballot harvesting or voter fraud during the 2020 election, and courts rejected more than 50 lawsuits Trump and his allies brought to challenge the election results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McClintock told CalMatters he will vote to uphold the electoral votes for the upcoming election. “Congress’ only role in the matter is to witness the counting of the ballots. Period,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4573\">Electoral Count Reform Act\u003c/a>, which made it more difficult for Congress to object to election results and clarified the vote-counting process. All California Republican incumbents who were in office at the time voted against it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even with that new guardrail, political experts say efforts to overturn the election are to be expected now. That’s a stark departure from a decade ago, said Kim Nalder, a political science professor at California State University in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really kind of horrifying that we’ve normalized this abnormal sort of situation,” she said. “We can’t survive with this level of distrust in our basic institutions, and I don’t know what will give to change that, but something has to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran lobbyist Chris Micheli said the presidential election results could be challenged again, partly because of how close\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/21/harris-trump-post-schar-school-poll/\"> polls say the race is in seven battleground states\u003c/a>. Both Harris and Trump are preparing legal teams in the case of a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside label=\"2024 California Voter Guide\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/voterguide,Learn everything you need to cast an informed ballot for the 2024 general election' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Voter-Guide-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s definitely a dark period of American history, both what transpired on Jan. 6, but also earlier that prior December, when members of Congress voted against certifying the election of the clear victor in the presidential election,” Micheli said. “Those votes raised the ire of a lot of voters, particularly in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Republican Party is confident that the election results will be certified, spokesperson Ellie Hockenbury said in a statement to CalMatters. Still, the party is preparing for issues that may arise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To make sure we didn’t leave anything to chance,” she said, the national and state GOP “have invested heavily in an \u003ca href=\"https://cagop.org/election-integrity/\">Election Integrity operation\u003c/a> to ensure that all concerns are addressed in real-time and that Californians can cast a ballot with confidence that it will be received and counted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Republican Party is \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2023/09/donald-trump-california-republicans/\">firmly behind Trump\u003c/a>, who — despite losing to Biden 63% to 34% in 2020 — still won \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/president\">more votes in California than any other state\u003c/a>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-october-2024/\">new Public Policy Institute of California poll\u003c/a> released Wednesday night, Harris leads Trump 59% to 33% among likely voters. But in the swing congressional districts, likely voters are generally evenly divided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Ken Calvert, who represents the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-41\">41st District in Riverside County\u003c/a>, is the only California Republican member of Congress to commit to certifying the presidential election results this time after objecting four years ago. He also joined in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163550/20201211132250339_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20126%20Representatives%20--%20corrected.pdf\">court brief\u003c/a> challenging Pennsylvania’s results in 2020 and advocated for a “thorough investigation” of \u003ca href=\"https://calvert.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-calvert-statement-counting-electoral-college-votes\">voter fraud allegations\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calvert’s campaign did not say why his position has shifted from four years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Jay Obernolte, who voted to object to the count, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailynews.com/2022/01/05/what-southern-california-house-republicans-say-about-jan-6-riot-one-year-later/amp/\">told Southern California News Group\u003c/a> in 2022 that he still had “serious constitutional reservations about the things that happened in those two states” — Arizona and Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reps. David Valadao and Michelle Steel missed the vote in 2021. Steel said she \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/01/07/heres-how-california-representatives-voted-on-certifying-bidens-election-and-who-is-calling-for-trumps-removal/\">had tested positive for COVID-19\u003c/a>, while Valadao \u003ca href=\"https://abc30.com/david-valadao-covid-coronavirus/9265460/\">had not been sworn in yet\u003c/a> because he also tested positive. However, Valadao said\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RepDavidValadao/status/1346872202298355715\"> on social media\u003c/a> he would have voted to certify the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three incumbents who took office in 2023 will face that decision for the first time if they win re-election. But not everyone is answering the question: Rep. John Duarte — a Modesto farmer \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-13\">facing a fierce challenge\u003c/a> from Democrat Adam Gray — is the only one to state his position publicly, telling The Sacramento Bee he would vote to certify the presidential election. (Duarte did not respond to a CalMatters inquiry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reps. Kevin Kiley, Vince Fong, Doug LaMalfa, Darrell Issa and Mike Garcia, as well as Obernolte and Valadao, also did not respond to CalMatters inquiries. Matt Gunderson, a candidate for the toss-up 49th District in San Diego County, did not respond to CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republicans are reluctant to speak publicly about the issue because they’re concerned about losing votes from Trump supporters, strategists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It puts Republicans in competitive districts in a difficult position,” said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of course, they’re going to vote to certify the election results, but they don’t really want to inflame the conservative grassroots side either because they need them for their Get Out the Vote. So this is an issue that’s divisive for Republicans, and so I don’t think they want to talk about it much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Republicans running in swing districts, the answer to whether they will uphold the election outcome depends on which voters they want to court, Nalder said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Coming out strongly in support of certification would make sense if the goal was to recruit some moderate voters or some voters from the other party in these close races,” she said. “But if the strategy is more about turnouts amongst their base … it probably makes sense to equivocate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For GOP members of Congress in safe Republican districts, however, the calculation is more about their “future in the party,” Nalder said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Assuming Trump wins, they will need to have loyalty exhibited within the party, and so having committed beforehand to something that the party maybe goes against later would not be helpful for their political career,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Only one-third of California's GOP congressional delegation has pledged to accept the 2024 presidential election results.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1729804474,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":36,"wordCount":1618},"headData":{"title":"We Won't Commit to Certifying Election Results, Say Most California GOP Congressmembers | KQED","description":"Only one-third of California's GOP congressional delegation has pledged to accept the 2024 presidential election results.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"We Won't Commit to Certifying Election Results, Say Most California GOP Congressmembers","datePublished":"2024-10-24T14:00:12-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-24T14:14:34-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"source":"CalMatters","sourceUrl":"https://calmatters.org/","sticky":false,"nprByline":"Yue Stella Yu and Jenna Peterson, CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12010914","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12010914/we-wont-commit-to-certifying-election-results-say-most-california-gop-congressmembers","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In January 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/congress-electoral-college-count-tracker/\">seven of the 11 California Republicans in Congress\u003c/a> refused to certify the 2020 presidential election results, boosting former President Donald Trump’s false claim that he lost in a rigged vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, as Trump attempts a return to the White House, only a third of California’s Republican U.S. representatives have pledged to certify the results this November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only four of the 12 GOP incumbents — who are all seeking another term — have promised to uphold the election results. Of the three GOP challengers in California’s most competitive districts, two — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009870/dave-min-scott-baugh-vie-for-competitive-orange-county-house-seat\">Scott Baugh in Orange County\u003c/a> and Kevin Lincoln in the Central Valley — made the same pledge in response to a CalMatters inquiry. And in California’s U.S. Senate race, GOP candidate Steve Garvey made the commitment in \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/02/senate-debate-california/\">February\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The refusal to commit by most GOP congressional candidates comes as Trump and his allies are already casting doubt on the outcome of the November election, stoking fear among election officials of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/election-workers-2024-threats-security-police-trump-kamala-biden-steal-c4f27414a5a90b67983b0349a370dd13\">disruptions and violence\u003c/a>. Trump has peddled unsubstantiated claims about widespread \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/09/politics/republicans-noncitizen-voting-elections-trump/index.html\">voting by non-citizens\u003c/a>, argued that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kamala-harris\">Vice President Kamala Harris\u003c/a> will \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/politics/fact-check-trump-election-lies-2024/index.html\">only win if the Democrats cheat\u003c/a> and questioned the constitutionality of Democrats replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote by Congress to count all electoral votes that are already certified by each state is the final step in electing a president. Usually a formality, it was anything but after Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Early the next morning, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/politics/congress-electoral-college-count-tracker/\">147 Republican members of Congress\u003c/a> voted to object to the counting of Electoral College votes from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count\">either Arizona or Pennsylvania, or both\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All 44 California Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate at the time voted to certify the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eight of California’s current Republican members of Congress were in office, but only Rep. Young Kim — who \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-13/orange-county-house-election-results-young-kim-wins\">flipped her northern Orange County seat in 2020\u003c/a> — voted to certify the results without casting doubt on the election outcome. “The constitution does not give Congress the authority to overturn elections. To take such action would undermine the authority of the states,” she said in a \u003ca href=\"https://youngkim.house.gov/2021/01/05/young-kim-statement-joint-session-congress/\">statement \u003c/a>in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told CalMatters she plans to uphold the results of this election as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12010969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12010969\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/DSCF0776_qed.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young Kim talking to Republicans at the California GOP Convention in Indian Wells in 2019. (Saul Gonzalez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rep. Tom McClintock was the only other California Republican to vote to certify the election. But \u003ca href=\"https://mcclintock.house.gov/newsroom/columns/respecting-an-imperfect-system\">he said\u003c/a> it was because he believed Congress did not have the constitutional authority to reject the electoral votes — not because he didn’t have concerns about how the election was conducted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December 2020, however, McClintock was one of four California Republicans in Congress to file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163550/20201211132250339_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20126%20Representatives%20--%20corrected.pdf\">challenge the election outcome in Pennsylvania\u003c/a>, arguing that mail balloting “invites fraud and incubates suspicion of fraud” and claiming that “ballot harvesters” collected ballots with “no chain of custody.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-usa-mules-idUSL2N2XJ0OQ/\">Multiple fact checks\u003c/a> found \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-false-claims-debunked-2020-election-jan-6-riot-2022-01-06/\">no evidence\u003c/a> that there was widespread ballot harvesting or voter fraud during the 2020 election, and courts rejected more than 50 lawsuits Trump and his allies brought to challenge the election results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McClintock told CalMatters he will vote to uphold the electoral votes for the upcoming election. “Congress’ only role in the matter is to witness the counting of the ballots. Period,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Congress passed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4573\">Electoral Count Reform Act\u003c/a>, which made it more difficult for Congress to object to election results and clarified the vote-counting process. All California Republican incumbents who were in office at the time voted against it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even with that new guardrail, political experts say efforts to overturn the election are to be expected now. That’s a stark departure from a decade ago, said Kim Nalder, a political science professor at California State University in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really kind of horrifying that we’ve normalized this abnormal sort of situation,” she said. “We can’t survive with this level of distrust in our basic institutions, and I don’t know what will give to change that, but something has to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran lobbyist Chris Micheli said the presidential election results could be challenged again, partly because of how close\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/21/harris-trump-post-schar-school-poll/\"> polls say the race is in seven battleground states\u003c/a>. Both Harris and Trump are preparing legal teams in the case of a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"label":"2024 California Voter Guide ","link1":"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide,Learn everything you need to cast an informed ballot for the 2024 general election","hero":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Voter-Guide-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s definitely a dark period of American history, both what transpired on Jan. 6, but also earlier that prior December, when members of Congress voted against certifying the election of the clear victor in the presidential election,” Micheli said. “Those votes raised the ire of a lot of voters, particularly in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Republican Party is confident that the election results will be certified, spokesperson Ellie Hockenbury said in a statement to CalMatters. Still, the party is preparing for issues that may arise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To make sure we didn’t leave anything to chance,” she said, the national and state GOP “have invested heavily in an \u003ca href=\"https://cagop.org/election-integrity/\">Election Integrity operation\u003c/a> to ensure that all concerns are addressed in real-time and that Californians can cast a ballot with confidence that it will be received and counted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state Republican Party is \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2023/09/donald-trump-california-republicans/\">firmly behind Trump\u003c/a>, who — despite losing to Biden 63% to 34% in 2020 — still won \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/president\">more votes in California than any other state\u003c/a>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-october-2024/\">new Public Policy Institute of California poll\u003c/a> released Wednesday night, Harris leads Trump 59% to 33% among likely voters. But in the swing congressional districts, likely voters are generally evenly divided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Ken Calvert, who represents the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-41\">41st District in Riverside County\u003c/a>, is the only California Republican member of Congress to commit to certifying the presidential election results this time after objecting four years ago. He also joined in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163550/20201211132250339_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20126%20Representatives%20--%20corrected.pdf\">court brief\u003c/a> challenging Pennsylvania’s results in 2020 and advocated for a “thorough investigation” of \u003ca href=\"https://calvert.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-calvert-statement-counting-electoral-college-votes\">voter fraud allegations\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calvert’s campaign did not say why his position has shifted from four years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Jay Obernolte, who voted to object to the count, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailynews.com/2022/01/05/what-southern-california-house-republicans-say-about-jan-6-riot-one-year-later/amp/\">told Southern California News Group\u003c/a> in 2022 that he still had “serious constitutional reservations about the things that happened in those two states” — Arizona and Pennsylvania.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reps. David Valadao and Michelle Steel missed the vote in 2021. Steel said she \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/01/07/heres-how-california-representatives-voted-on-certifying-bidens-election-and-who-is-calling-for-trumps-removal/\">had tested positive for COVID-19\u003c/a>, while Valadao \u003ca href=\"https://abc30.com/david-valadao-covid-coronavirus/9265460/\">had not been sworn in yet\u003c/a> because he also tested positive. However, Valadao said\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/RepDavidValadao/status/1346872202298355715\"> on social media\u003c/a> he would have voted to certify the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three incumbents who took office in 2023 will face that decision for the first time if they win re-election. But not everyone is answering the question: Rep. John Duarte — a Modesto farmer \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-13\">facing a fierce challenge\u003c/a> from Democrat Adam Gray — is the only one to state his position publicly, telling The Sacramento Bee he would vote to certify the presidential election. (Duarte did not respond to a CalMatters inquiry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reps. Kevin Kiley, Vince Fong, Doug LaMalfa, Darrell Issa and Mike Garcia, as well as Obernolte and Valadao, also did not respond to CalMatters inquiries. Matt Gunderson, a candidate for the toss-up 49th District in San Diego County, did not respond to CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republicans are reluctant to speak publicly about the issue because they’re concerned about losing votes from Trump supporters, strategists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It puts Republicans in competitive districts in a difficult position,” said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of course, they’re going to vote to certify the election results, but they don’t really want to inflame the conservative grassroots side either because they need them for their Get Out the Vote. So this is an issue that’s divisive for Republicans, and so I don’t think they want to talk about it much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Republicans running in swing districts, the answer to whether they will uphold the election outcome depends on which voters they want to court, Nalder said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Coming out strongly in support of certification would make sense if the goal was to recruit some moderate voters or some voters from the other party in these close races,” she said. “But if the strategy is more about turnouts amongst their base … it probably makes sense to equivocate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For GOP members of Congress in safe Republican districts, however, the calculation is more about their “future in the party,” Nalder said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Assuming Trump wins, they will need to have loyalty exhibited within the party, and so having committed beforehand to something that the party maybe goes against later would not be helpful for their political career,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12010914/we-wont-commit-to-certifying-election-results-say-most-california-gop-congressmembers","authors":["byline_news_12010914"],"categories":["news_8","news_13"],"tags":["news_32839","news_17968","news_29111","news_387"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12010957","label":"source_news_12010914"},"news_12010346":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12010346","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12010346","score":null,"sort":[1729533654000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"kaiser-mental-health-workers-begin-open-ended-strike-in-southern-california","title":"Kaiser Mental Health Workers Begin Open-Ended Strike in Southern California","publishDate":1729533654,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Kaiser Mental Health Workers Begin Open-Ended Strike in Southern California | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>More than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers in Southern California began a strike this morning and established picket lines at locations from Los Angeles to San Diego, marking the second strike among Kaiser therapists in a little more than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health workers represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers prepared for the strike over the weekend after declining Kaiser’s terms on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser, in a written statement, said it is notifying patients whose appointments could be affected by the strike. “Patients will have the opportunity to be seen by another professional in our extensive network of highly qualified, licensed therapists if their regular provider is engaged in a strike,” the statement read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2022/08/kaiser-mental-health-worker-strike/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The previous strike in 2022\u003c/a> among mental health clinicians in Northern California lasted 10 weeks and led to a commitment from \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-win-major-gains-as-strike-concludes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaiser to hire more therapists\u003c/a> and to give employees specific work hours away from face-to-face patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Southern California Kaiser workers are now requesting more time between appointments to prepare for patients. They also want a wage increase and a pension benefit that the company provides to its Northern California clinicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s pretty simple,” said psychological social worker William Johnson, a union steward who serves on the bargaining committee. “We’re looking for the same three top priorities that Kaiser already said ‘Yes’ to for our Northern California mental healthcare workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said his current workload includes seeing 32 to 35 patients a week in one-hour sessions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser released a statement in response to the union’s plans to strike, saying, “Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise, as this seems to have been their intention all along.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has offered wage increases amounting to 18% over four years and a number of other perks, according to the statement. Kaiser representatives said they have invested more than a billion dollars in expanding mental health capabilities in California and increased the number of licensed mental health clinicians in Southern California by 30% over the past four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, union members say \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/10/kaiser-permanente-strike-mental-health/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turnover has been a problem\u003c/a>, with a quarter of therapists hired between January 2021 and August 2024 leaving their jobs. [aside postID=\"news_11964377,news_11964043,news_11923034\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser leadership has consistently been dismissive whenever we voice our concerns or experiences,” Johnson said. “They like to tell us things like, ‘We get that it’s not ideal,’ and they also add, ‘But it works for us.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jared Garcia, another union steward on the bargaining committee, said he’s hoping the strike lasts less than a month, but he’s prepared to see it go on as long as it takes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scabs aren’t going to work,” Garcia said. “Kaiser knows the limitations of finding mental health professionals — let alone to replace 2,400 of our union members at this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year ago, Kaiser entered into a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-permanente-california-behavioral-health-settlement/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$200 million settlement agreement \u003c/a>with the state of California, agreeing to pay a $50 million fine and invest another $150 million over five years to address delays in behavioral health appointments.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The strike is the second in a little more than two years by California mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente. The last one lasted 10 weeks.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1729535574,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":16,"wordCount":545},"headData":{"title":"Kaiser Mental Health Workers Begin Open-Ended Strike in Southern California | KQED","description":"The strike is the second in a little more than two years by California mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente. The last one lasted 10 weeks.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Kaiser Mental Health Workers Begin Open-Ended Strike in Southern California","datePublished":"2024-10-21T11:00:54-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-21T11:32:54-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/joe-garcia\">Joe Garcia, \u003c/a>CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12010346","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12010346/kaiser-mental-health-workers-begin-open-ended-strike-in-southern-california","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers in Southern California began a strike this morning and established picket lines at locations from Los Angeles to San Diego, marking the second strike among Kaiser therapists in a little more than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health workers represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers prepared for the strike over the weekend after declining Kaiser’s terms on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser, in a written statement, said it is notifying patients whose appointments could be affected by the strike. “Patients will have the opportunity to be seen by another professional in our extensive network of highly qualified, licensed therapists if their regular provider is engaged in a strike,” the statement read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2022/08/kaiser-mental-health-worker-strike/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The previous strike in 2022\u003c/a> among mental health clinicians in Northern California lasted 10 weeks and led to a commitment from \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-win-major-gains-as-strike-concludes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaiser to hire more therapists\u003c/a> and to give employees specific work hours away from face-to-face patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Southern California Kaiser workers are now requesting more time between appointments to prepare for patients. They also want a wage increase and a pension benefit that the company provides to its Northern California clinicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s pretty simple,” said psychological social worker William Johnson, a union steward who serves on the bargaining committee. “We’re looking for the same three top priorities that Kaiser already said ‘Yes’ to for our Northern California mental healthcare workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said his current workload includes seeing 32 to 35 patients a week in one-hour sessions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser released a statement in response to the union’s plans to strike, saying, “Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise, as this seems to have been their intention all along.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company has offered wage increases amounting to 18% over four years and a number of other perks, according to the statement. Kaiser representatives said they have invested more than a billion dollars in expanding mental health capabilities in California and increased the number of licensed mental health clinicians in Southern California by 30% over the past four years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, union members say \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/10/kaiser-permanente-strike-mental-health/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turnover has been a problem\u003c/a>, with a quarter of therapists hired between January 2021 and August 2024 leaving their jobs. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_11964377,news_11964043,news_11923034","label":"Related Stories "},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser leadership has consistently been dismissive whenever we voice our concerns or experiences,” Johnson said. “They like to tell us things like, ‘We get that it’s not ideal,’ and they also add, ‘But it works for us.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jared Garcia, another union steward on the bargaining committee, said he’s hoping the strike lasts less than a month, but he’s prepared to see it go on as long as it takes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Scabs aren’t going to work,” Garcia said. “Kaiser knows the limitations of finding mental health professionals — let alone to replace 2,400 of our union members at this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year ago, Kaiser entered into a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-permanente-california-behavioral-health-settlement/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$200 million settlement agreement \u003c/a>with the state of California, agreeing to pay a $50 million fine and invest another $150 million over five years to address delays in behavioral health appointments.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12010346/kaiser-mental-health-workers-begin-open-ended-strike-in-southern-california","authors":["byline_news_12010346"],"categories":["news_457","news_8"],"tags":["news_24939","news_6637","news_24590","news_2109","news_3733"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12010362","label":"news_18481"},"news_12009602":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12009602","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12009602","score":null,"sort":[1729108831000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"notoriously-slow-lengthy-investigations-into-california-politicians-leave-voters-in-the-dark","title":"‘Notoriously Slow:’ Lengthy Investigations Into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark","publishDate":1729108831,"format":"standard","headTitle":"‘Notoriously Slow:’ Lengthy Investigations Into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>A $1,044 outing at a glitzy Hollywood nightclub. A $1,316 meal at a Los Angeles steak and seafood restaurant. A $4,500 experience to see the L.A. Dodgers. Isaac Galvan paid for them all — with campaign cash, a state probe found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his nine years on the Compton City Council, Galvan frequently spent campaign donations for personal purposes, kept shoddy financial records and repeatedly failed to disclose donors and expenditures accurately and on time, if at all, the California Fair Political Practices Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/EnfDivCaseResults/stipulated-agreements/2022-sdo/august-sdo/isaac-galvan.html\">concluded in its investigation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the probe lasted six years — so long that voters reelected Galvan twice, and he left office before those \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2022-agendas/aug-2022-agenda.html\">violations were made public\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-14/ex-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-campaign-finance-fine-election-rigging-scandal\">July 2022\u003c/a>. During the investigation, he continued to miss filing deadlines, allegedly participated in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-19/former-compton-city-councilman-isaac-galvan-indicted-for-allegedly-bribing-baldwin-park-councilman-for-marijuana-permits\">a bribery scheme\u003c/a> that led to his indictment, and was tossed out of office by a judge in May 2022 for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/illegal-votes-cast-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-election-overturned/2904393/\">election fraud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What took them so long?” asked lifelong Compton resident Gilda Blueford, who only learned of Galvan’s campaign finance violations from CalMatters. “If we could have known what was going on … perhaps he would not have been reelected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically plagued by what some staff called an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">enormous\u003c/a>” backlog, California’s campaign watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases — exposing violations or exonerating politicians only after they left office or won an election, a CalMatters analysis has found. While the agency has worked to expedite enforcement, advocates, officials and past and current commissioners say delayed actions can diminish public trust in the state’s ability to prosecute corruption effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the FPPC doesn’t really clamp down on those obvious abuses quickly, then it’s a toothless watchdog,” said state Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/steven-glazer-165414\">Steve Glazer\u003c/a>, an Orinda Democrat who has championed laws to tighten \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/05/california-pay-to-play-law/\">campaign ethics regulations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lag in enforcement could leave some voters in the dark in upcoming elections. As of last week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>On the November ballot, 20 of the 305 candidates for the state Legislature, U.S. House and U.S. Senate have an open case against them, commission data shows.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Two of the state’s eight constitutional officers \u003ca href=\"https://fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint-and-case-information-portal.html\">are now under investigation\u003c/a> — Gov. Gavin Newsom for late filings and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for allegations of “laundered campaign contributions” — and both won reelection as their cases were pending.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Seven of the eight top constitutional officers — all but Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis — have had past violations, ranging from improper disclosures to illegal campaign contributions, according to commission enforcement records.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-fppc-enforcement.netlify.app/ballot-lookup?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=California%20campaign%20finance%20investigations%20leave%20voters%20in%20the%20dark%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2024%2F10%2Fcampaign-finance-california-fppc-enforcement%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission, created by California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/about-the-political-reform-act.html\">through a 1974 ballot measure\u003c/a> following \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/watergate\">the Watergate scandal\u003c/a>, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc.html\">policed campaign and ethics violations statewide and in local races\u003c/a> for 50 years. The backlog was an open secret among staffers and commissioners, with some senior counsels arguing in 2022 that the problem had \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">existed for “at least 20 years.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, the agency has seen its caseload wax and wane, peaking in April 2020 at 1,874 unresolved cases, staff reports show. Among cases resolved between 2017 and 2023, 15% took more than two years to close, with the longest lasting almost seven years, according to a CalMatters analysis of data obtained through a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has added staff, expanded programs to educate political candidates and streamlined enforcement of minor cases while freeing up resources for more serious violations, said commission Chairperson Adam E. Silver. In 2022, it adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/EnforcementDiv/policy-directives/15.0-Enforcement-directives.pdf\">policy directive \u003c/a>to cap the carryover caseload at 625 each year and mandated a 75% reduction in cases opened before 2023, causing the backlog to plunge, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So long as that continues, then I would say the problem of cases building up and having a ‘backlog’ that grows and grows and grows, that’s resolved,” Silver said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some were concerned that the agency may have become more lenient as it closed cases more quickly. Last year, the commission issued the lowest dollar amount of penalties and the highest percentage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/form-700-filed-by-public-officials/case-resolutions/case-closure-letter-search.html\">warning letters\u003c/a> — a method reserved for low-level offenses with minimal public harm — in the past decade, according to commission reports. Four in five cases where violations were found resulted in a letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/P72zW/\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Lindsay, enforcement chief of the commission, said in multiple public meetings that the increased use of warning letters was partly because the agency prioritized closing minor cases and acknowledged in June that it would become more difficult to find \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/nXSSZP2POHs?feature=shared&t=10279\">“easy closures.” \u003c/a>But he assured the commission in January that the letters were never issued “in scenarios that were not justified in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some ethics advocates, however, warned against the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of a policy to be caught up on mandates, you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” said Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics, and accountability manager at the California Common Cause. “The answer is not less enforcement or diminished fines. The answer is more person power to enforce the law adequately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t believe in the system’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Galvan — the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-adv-compton-councilman-20130729-story.html\">first Latino\u003c/a> to ever serve on the Compton City Council — was a symbol of hope for diverse representation, Blueford said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Galvan’s career was littered with violations, according to state and court records. He failed to file any disclosures before being elected in 2013, drawing a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/EnfDivCaseResults/stipulated-agreements/2013-sdo/november-sdo/galvan-for-compton-city-council-2013,-and-isaac-galvan1.html\">$1,000 fine from the commission\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2013-agendas/nov-2013-agenda.html\">November\u003c/a>. That did not stop him: He continued to file paperwork late until, in March 2017, he stopped filing altogether, according to the commission’s investigation, details of which have not been previously reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.comptoncity.org/departments/city-clerk/elections/election-results\">A month later\u003c/a>, he was reelected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also spent more than $55,000 of the money he raised between 2013 and 2017 for personal use, the investigation said. In 2017, he even \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BV3wF2iBP0e/\">posted about one of those expenses\u003c/a> at a Beverly Hills winery on social media, according to bank records included in the probe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009641\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png\" alt=\"An illustration of five tear sheets with highlighted text.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1481\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-800x741.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-1020x944.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-160x148.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-1536x1422.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tear sheets \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the investigation, Galvan was hard to find, at times promising to provide records he never delivered, and efforts to directly serve him the subpoena for those records failed, commission documents show. Once, he was celebrating the premiere of the movie “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BbI7MY7BM2E/\">Daddy’s Home 2\u003c/a>” on the day the subpoena server tried to reach him, according to his social media post. On another occasion, Galvan entered the City Hall through a “private entrance,” documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-14/ex-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-campaign-finance-fine-election-rigging-scandal\">fined Galvan $240,000\u003c/a> in 2022. However, the agency had not received a payment as of Oct. 9, commission spokesperson Jay Wierenga confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency opened the case in February 2016 and assigned it that September, adding more staff and devising a plan to investigate in June 2017, according to Wierenga and the agency’s own case chronology obtained via a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission’s leaders acknowledged that Galvan’s case “took too long to resolve and that staff should have been assigned sooner,” Wierenga said in an email. But he said that Galvan’s extensive violations and lack of responsiveness was why the case took longer than normal, and asserted that recent reforms will “prevent significant delays.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compton City Council member Andre Spicer, who replaced Galvan in 2022, called the long duration of the case “a disservice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that our lack of engagement is because we don’t believe in the system,” Spicer said. “If you have issues like this that take 10 years, eight years to sort out and damage is done, it reinforces the reasons why people don’t engage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galvan and his then-bookkeeper, Gary Crummitt, did not respond to multiple inquiries over two weeks for comment. When reached by CalMatters last month, Galvan’s attorney during the investigation, Anthony Willoughby, said in an email: “There are a lot of moving parts to the matter you are seeking comment on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Notoriously slow’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Galvan’s case is among many where, by the time they were resolved, the officials in question had won an election or left office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the city of Campbell in 2017, council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/november/3-City-of-Campbell-Stip.pdf\">paid for ads\u003c/a> with taxpayer dollars to influence election outcomes on three ballot measures about marijuana regulations, the commission found. However, the findings were only made public \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2023-agendas/November-2023-agenda.html\">six years later\u003c/a>, after most of those officials had left office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-24/a-trip-to-boston-a-cigar-humidor-and-a-dutch-distillery-tour-how-one-oc-politician-abused-campaign-funds-for-a-100-000-fine\">Former state Assemblymember Bill Brough\u003c/a> spent campaign cash on family cell phone plans, hotel stays and a trip to a Boston Red Sox game, according to the commission, which didn’t conclude his case until last year, three years after he left office. Even he complained: “I just wanted to go on with my life,” the Los Angeles Times reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a three-year investigation into state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/diane-papan-165423\">Diane Papan\u003c/a> wrapped in May, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2021-00158-Papan-Warning-Letter.pdf\">resulting in a warning letter\u003c/a> for improper reporting of contributions when she ran for San Mateo City Council in 2020, according to records obtained by CalMatters. Papan’s campaign provided records to the agency in 2021, but the staff waited three years before reaching back out — so long that Papan’s attorney, former FPPC enforcement chief Gary Winuk, questioned the lack of action in an email to the staff and one witness the agency interviewed said he no longer remembered details of the contributions in question, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delays could create a sense that “there’s justice denied,” said Catharine Baker, the commission vice chairperson. “If you act too slowly if there isn’t a resolution, potential bad actors aren’t brought to any real significant justice, and the public can’t have faith that the rules are being enforced — that there is someone watching the henhouse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some open cases have also lasted years. Newsom, for instance, has been under a previously unreported investigation since 2021 for late disclosure of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/behested-payments.html\">behested payments\u003c/a> — donations to a person, nonprofit or a state agency at the behest of the public official that ethics experts say can be another avenue for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/california-lawmaker-nonprofits-politics-charity-campaign-finance-foundation-dark-money/\">special interests to curry favor\u003c/a>. Another probe for potential campaign reporting violations has also been open since 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint-and-case-information-portal.html\">commission records show\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials are \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/behested-payments.html\">required by state law\u003c/a> to disclose behested payments that total $5,000 or more from a single donor in a year, and upon meeting that dollar threshold, the official must report the payments within 30 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2019 and 2021, Newsom’s office failed to file 17 behested payments totaling more than $14 million on time, including one filed more than a year after the due date, according to records obtained by CalMatters via a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In emails to the commission, Newsom’s staff blamed the delays on donors notifying the governor’s office of the payments after filing deadlines. They also said the governor takes his “reporting obligations very seriously” and submitted the documents within days of discovering the payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those behested payments were made during the pandemic, “when the Governor’s office was focused on the quick mobilization of resources,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement last week. “Our office remains committed to transparency and complying with FPPC requirements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara — who accepted money in 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/07/20/state-insurance-commissioner-accepted-contributions-and-intervened-in-cases-affecting-donor-records-show/\">from donors with ties to insurers\u003c/a> his agency oversaw — has been under investigation for two years for allegations of laundering campaign donations, records show. Between 2021 and 2022, insurance companies funneled $122,500 through the leadership fund of the California Legislative LGBTQ caucus — where Lara served as vice chairperson and remains an ex-officio member — to support Lara, \u003ca href=\"https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/FPPCComplaint051922_0.pdf\">according to a complaint \u003c/a>filed by Carmen Balber, executive director of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which has also \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-consumer-watchdog-nonprofit-payments-20171215-story.html\">faced criticism for not disclosing its donors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last time she heard from the commission, Balber said, was when it opened the investigation in May 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara told CalMatters last month he was not in touch with the agency and referred questions to his campaign attorney. The attorney, along with other groups named in the investigation, did not respond to a CalMatters inquiry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former commission chairperson Ann Ravel said while some cases are complicated and time-consuming, late filings of behested payments and campaign finance forms should be easy cases to close. “We know there are deadlines,” Ravel said. “If they cannot monitor that, what are they monitoring?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with complex cases, Ravel argued, swift resolution is possible. Right before the November 2012 election, the agency under her leadership forced Koch Brothers-associated groups to \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/11/05/california-political-watchdog-names-secret-11-million-campaign-contributors-claims-they-were-money-laundering/\">disclose $11 million\u003c/a> in illegal spending on a pair of propositions through an emergency ruling from the California Supreme Court. The groups \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-fppc-koch-brothers-campaign-finance-penalties-california-proposition-30-20131023-story.html\">were fined $1 million\u003c/a> a year later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That transparency was so important to the public, to the press, in order for there to be fairness in the system and also for people to have trust in government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But speed is not all, Silver argued. “Just because you are spending a lot of time on one case doesn’t make it a waste of time,” he said. “It could have the effect of limiting complaints and violations in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009637\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009637\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg\" alt=\"A closeup image of the left side of a white man's face.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adam E. Silver, chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission, delivers closing remarks at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Political Reform Act at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jungho Kim/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And cases must be investigated fully for due process, even if no violations are ultimately found, said commission executive director Galena West, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/organization-and-responsibilities/commissioners-and-executive-staff.html\">led the enforcement division for five years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Isn’t exonerating someone also valuable for the public to know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agency’s goals\u003c/a> are to ensure public officials “act in a fair and unbiased manner,” promote government transparency, and build public trust in the political system, according to its website. State law and commission regulations do not explicitly require staff to resolve cases before elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But frustration lingers among campaign finance attorneys, those who filed complaints and even politicians under investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The FPPC is so notoriously slow that it’s not worth bugging them,” Balber said. “If campaign violations are not identified and prosecuted in a timely manner, then after-the-fact penalties have no impact on the elected officials who are being investigated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delays create loopholes for officials willing to chalk up the penalties as the cost of winning an election, said McMorris of California Common Cause, who likened the state campaign finance laws to “a tube of toothpaste under pressure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s multiple holes in it. You plug one, those bad actors immediately go find the other hole that they can exploit,” he said. “It diminishes public trust in the democratic process and in our representatives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for public officials who “inadvertently” made a mistake or who are innocent, the lengthy probe is “like a sword hanging over your head” even after leaving office, said Glazer, the state legislator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Treasurer Fiona Ma — who was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/budget-cuts-newsom-california/#wm-story-2\">fined $11,500\u003c/a> earlier this year for failing to disclose more than $860,000 in payments in her 2018 campaign — said the yearslong investigation meant extra costs to retain her treasurer and attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just going to have to pay a fine at some point, so just send me the bill,” Ma, a 2026 candidate for lieutenant governor, told CalMatters. “But you know what? This is … the cost of doing business in elected office. It just is. Everybody gets fined, just how much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What caused the backlog?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anecdotes of backlogs and delays reached Baker before she was appointed to the commission in 2021, she said. And early in her tenure, she quickly noticed how old cases were by the time staff presented them for commission decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘Look, there’s a problem. It’s severe. And we must do something,’” Baker said in an interview with CalMatters, joined by Wierenga, the spokesperson. “If we don’t, our tenures on this commission … will be partly a failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The influx of complaints and referrals from state and local agencies contributed to the backlog, Baker said. Over the past decade, the number of complaints and referrals has generally crept up and surged in election years, peaking in 2022 with 3,103, compared to a low of 1,205 in 2015, according to the CalMatters analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers also assigned the agency more duties over the years, Baker and Wierenga noted. Wierenga said the agency’s caseload jumped in 2015 when the California Secretary of State \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2015/May/Streamline%20memo%20-%205-11-15.pdf\">began referring campaigns\u003c/a> that failed to file a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB1001\">$50 annual fee\u003c/a>. The commission received 2,460 referrals on May 1, 2015 — almost five times the number of referrals from all other agencies combined that year, he wrote in an email. In 2021,\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1590\"> the enforcement of the law\u003c/a> was transferred back to the Secretary of State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laws increasing disclosure of donors in campaign ads — including a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2188\">2018 law\u003c/a> that regulated the text, color and font size — added more work for the commission, Wierenga said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/lawandpolicy/2022/november/comment-letter-intake.pdf\">staff responsible for parsing out complaints and referrals worth investigating \u003c/a>sometimes opened cases when they shouldn’t have, especially under the pressure of high caseloads, Lindsay told the commission in January. Inexperienced staff also lacked understanding of the law, leaving the manager scrambling to train them, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/lawandpolicy/2022/november/comment-letter-intake.pdf\">according to a 2022 memorandum\u003c/a> by unit manager Tara Stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re overwhelmed, you’re not sure what the right answer is, the thought process is: ‘There’s no harm in moving that case forward,’” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/30lsfBeIboE?feature=shared&t=8064\">Lindsay said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burdensome “red tape” — including layers of reviews and approvals required to escalate a case — and a digital recordkeeping system that’s hard to navigate compounded the problem, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">staff said\u003c/a>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">2022 letter\u003c/a>, staff described the system as “slow, cumbersome, and sometimes, downright tedious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/DDtUf/\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers and ethics advocates — while bemoaning slow enforcement — argue the agency is chronically understaffed and underfunded. The department’s budget and its number of employees, however, have steadily climbed — from $11.8 million and 66 employees in \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/publication/#/e/2017-18/Agency/8000\">fiscal year 2017–18\u003c/a> to $19.6 million and 109 employees \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/2024-25EN/#/Agency/8000\">this year\u003c/a>, according to \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/publication/#/e/2017-18/Agency/8000\">state budget\u003c/a> records.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The increases were largely tied to additional duties, however, and the agency’s base funding is not adequate, argued McMorris of California Common Cause. Elected officials may lack the political will to dedicate more money to the agency or to expand the agency’s authority, McMorris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You are essentially asking the politicians who are being policed by this agency to increase the budget for policing,” he said. “There’s a tendency to do the least amount and only do it when there’s a scandal or evidence that something’s being exploited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission has only been audited once — in 1998 — in its entire 50-year history. That’s because “elected leaders have decided it’s not in their interest to do so,” Glazer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Efforts to speed up enforcement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over the years, the agency has \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.1.%20Eligibility%20Requirements%20and%20Considerations%20for%20Campaign%20Violations%20--%20Streamline%20(Tiers%20One%20and%20Two),%20Warning%20Letters%20and%20the%20Political%20Reform%20Education%20Program%20(PREP)%20(amended%206-12-24)%20ADA.pdf\">created and expanded programs\u003c/a> to expedite cases with minor violations. While commission leaders argue the steps can prevent backlogs, some ethics advocates say some programs are applied too broadly and could give bad actors too much leniency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To free up staff to pursue more egregious cases, the commission created a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.1.%20Eligibility%20Requirements%20and%20Considerations%20for%20Campaign%20Violations%20--%20Streamline%20(Tiers%20One%20and%20Two),%20Warning%20Letters%20and%20the%20Political%20Reform%20Education%20Program%20(PREP)%20(amended%206-12-24)%20ADA.pdf\">“streamline program”\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/march/9.0-Staff-Memo.pdf\">May 2015\u003c/a> and has since expanded it to include lower-tier violations, such as late filings, contributions above limits and recordkeeping errors. The cases often result in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.3.%20Penalties%20in%20Streamline%20Cases%20(amended%206-12-2024)%20ADA.pdf\">lower penalties\u003c/a> approved by the enforcement chief. Between 2015 and 2023, an average of 20% of cases closed with violations found each year went through that program, according to executive staff reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission also has had an \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/PREP.html\">educational program\u003c/a> since \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/media/press-releases/2024-news-releases/FPPC-News-Release-PREP-Program.html\">2022\u003c/a> to allow inexperienced offenders with low-harm violations to complete a class to avoid penalties. The Legislature \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB29\">funded three full-time staffers\u003c/a> for the program last year, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/media/press-releases/2024-news-releases/FPPC-News-Release-PREP-Program.html\">280 public officials\u003c/a> had completed the courses by August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program helps the commission spot those who flout the law, Silver said. “If you are taking that course for three hours, and you engage in the same violation … this person is acting in bad faith.”[aside postID=\"news_12001120\" label=\"Related Story\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, the agency adopted the policy directive to clear the enforcement backlog and has added staff attorneys to weed out frivolous complaints, West told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the policy stopped short of setting hard deadlines after roughly 20 investigators, attorneys and consultants argued it would worsen “out of control” caseloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The backlog was so severe that some enforcement staffers recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">closing all cases on alleged violations more than three years old\u003c/a> as long as they had not issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18361.4%20Probable%20Cause%20Proceedings.pdf\">“probable cause” report\u003c/a> against them. “There are no amount of hours in the day to resolve the current number of cases open,” said a December 2022 staff letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, other staff warned that the approach may be a quick fix, arguing that previous attempts to close cases en masse due to insufficient resources “only treated the symptom — not the cause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009638\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg\" alt='A blue illustration that reads \"FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICE COMMISSION.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for the Fair Political Practices Commission at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Political Reform Act at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jungho Kim/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Legislative efforts to set enforcement deadlines have failed. This year, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2990\">a bill\u003c/a> introduced by state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/evan-low-11\">Evan Low\u003c/a>, a Cupertino Democrat, would have required enforcement actions against most violations within two years. Low, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-16\">who is running for Congress\u003c/a>, is still under investigation by the commission for alleged violations in 2020, when CalMatters reported that he \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/state-investigates-evan-low-tech-foundation-calmatters-report/\">failed to disclose donors to a nonprofit affiliated with a legislative caucus he helps lead.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low told CalMatters the bill wouldn’t have applied to his case but declined to comment on his own investigation. Expeditious enforcement, he said, would absolve the innocent quickly when ethics complaints are “weaponized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s not concluded in real-time, then you have a cloud hanging over you for perpetuity,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy directive — and more warning letters — has worked, however. By September 2023, the division had already closed 35% of cases opened before 2023, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/EnforcementDiv/policy-directives/Policy%20Directives.pptx\">a quarterly report\u003c/a>. By January 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/january/Policy_Directivies_Update_Jan.pdf\">the closure rate climbed to 56%\u003c/a>. And by the end of May, it \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/june/10-ppt.pdf\">reached 68%\u003c/a>, with 917 unresolved cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warning letters work to deter violations because, like penalties, they are a bad look “on a campaign mailer,” Silver said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some ethics advocates, such as McMorris, argued that too many types of violations are eligible for warning letters or a streamlined process. “You now have a situation where you can take that backlog and scoop up a big load of those … complaints” and clear them, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balber cautioned against the heightened use of warning letters if the goal is solely to close cases more quickly, though a \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=2707814&amendid=0\">Consumer Watchdog-backed\u003c/a> political committee — formed in 2022 to support a proposed ballot measure \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2022/04/medical-malpractice-california-deal/\">increasing compensation cap for medical malpractice victims\u003c/a> — \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/documents/enf_letter/2023/6-16-23/Consumer-Watchdog-Campaign-for-the-Fairness-for-Injured-Patients-Act-202101129.pdf\">received a letter\u003c/a> last year for failing to file disclosure reports on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you prioritize speed over quality, you get lesser results,” she said. “That, to me, says staff is being pressured to get done faster no matter the outcome, and that’s troubling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>For the record:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> This story was updated to correct when Isaac Galvan was indicted for an alleged bribery scheme.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A CalMatters analysis shows that California’s campaign finance watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases, sometimes after politicians have won election or left office.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1729111599,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":true,"iframeSrcs":["https://calmatters-fppc-enforcement.netlify.app/ballot-lookup","https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/P72zW/","https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/DDtUf/"],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":87,"wordCount":4059},"headData":{"title":"‘Notoriously Slow:’ Lengthy Investigations Into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark | KQED","description":"A CalMatters analysis shows that California’s campaign finance watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases, sometimes after politicians have won election or left office.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"‘Notoriously Slow:’ Lengthy Investigations Into California Politicians Leave Voters in the Dark","datePublished":"2024-10-16T13:00:31-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-16T13:46:39-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/yue-yu\">Yue Stella Yu\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/jeremia-kimelman\">Jeremia Kimelman, \u003c/a>CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12009602","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12009602/notoriously-slow-lengthy-investigations-into-california-politicians-leave-voters-in-the-dark","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A $1,044 outing at a glitzy Hollywood nightclub. A $1,316 meal at a Los Angeles steak and seafood restaurant. A $4,500 experience to see the L.A. Dodgers. Isaac Galvan paid for them all — with campaign cash, a state probe found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his nine years on the Compton City Council, Galvan frequently spent campaign donations for personal purposes, kept shoddy financial records and repeatedly failed to disclose donors and expenditures accurately and on time, if at all, the California Fair Political Practices Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/EnfDivCaseResults/stipulated-agreements/2022-sdo/august-sdo/isaac-galvan.html\">concluded in its investigation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the probe lasted six years — so long that voters reelected Galvan twice, and he left office before those \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2022-agendas/aug-2022-agenda.html\">violations were made public\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-14/ex-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-campaign-finance-fine-election-rigging-scandal\">July 2022\u003c/a>. During the investigation, he continued to miss filing deadlines, allegedly participated in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-19/former-compton-city-councilman-isaac-galvan-indicted-for-allegedly-bribing-baldwin-park-councilman-for-marijuana-permits\">a bribery scheme\u003c/a> that led to his indictment, and was tossed out of office by a judge in May 2022 for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/illegal-votes-cast-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-election-overturned/2904393/\">election fraud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What took them so long?” asked lifelong Compton resident Gilda Blueford, who only learned of Galvan’s campaign finance violations from CalMatters. “If we could have known what was going on … perhaps he would not have been reelected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically plagued by what some staff called an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">enormous\u003c/a>” backlog, California’s campaign watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases — exposing violations or exonerating politicians only after they left office or won an election, a CalMatters analysis has found. While the agency has worked to expedite enforcement, advocates, officials and past and current commissioners say delayed actions can diminish public trust in the state’s ability to prosecute corruption effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the FPPC doesn’t really clamp down on those obvious abuses quickly, then it’s a toothless watchdog,” said state Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/steven-glazer-165414\">Steve Glazer\u003c/a>, an Orinda Democrat who has championed laws to tighten \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/05/california-pay-to-play-law/\">campaign ethics regulations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lag in enforcement could leave some voters in the dark in upcoming elections. As of last week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>On the November ballot, 20 of the 305 candidates for the state Legislature, U.S. House and U.S. Senate have an open case against them, commission data shows.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Two of the state’s eight constitutional officers \u003ca href=\"https://fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint-and-case-information-portal.html\">are now under investigation\u003c/a> — Gov. Gavin Newsom for late filings and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for allegations of “laundered campaign contributions” — and both won reelection as their cases were pending.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Seven of the eight top constitutional officers — all but Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis — have had past violations, ranging from improper disclosures to illegal campaign contributions, according to commission enforcement records.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-fppc-enforcement.netlify.app/ballot-lookup?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=California%20campaign%20finance%20investigations%20leave%20voters%20in%20the%20dark%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2024%2F10%2Fcampaign-finance-california-fppc-enforcement%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission, created by California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/about-the-political-reform-act.html\">through a 1974 ballot measure\u003c/a> following \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/1970s/watergate\">the Watergate scandal\u003c/a>, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc.html\">policed campaign and ethics violations statewide and in local races\u003c/a> for 50 years. The backlog was an open secret among staffers and commissioners, with some senior counsels arguing in 2022 that the problem had \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">existed for “at least 20 years.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, the agency has seen its caseload wax and wane, peaking in April 2020 at 1,874 unresolved cases, staff reports show. Among cases resolved between 2017 and 2023, 15% took more than two years to close, with the longest lasting almost seven years, according to a CalMatters analysis of data obtained through a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency has added staff, expanded programs to educate political candidates and streamlined enforcement of minor cases while freeing up resources for more serious violations, said commission Chairperson Adam E. Silver. In 2022, it adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/EnforcementDiv/policy-directives/15.0-Enforcement-directives.pdf\">policy directive \u003c/a>to cap the carryover caseload at 625 each year and mandated a 75% reduction in cases opened before 2023, causing the backlog to plunge, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So long as that continues, then I would say the problem of cases building up and having a ‘backlog’ that grows and grows and grows, that’s resolved,” Silver said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some were concerned that the agency may have become more lenient as it closed cases more quickly. Last year, the commission issued the lowest dollar amount of penalties and the highest percentage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/form-700-filed-by-public-officials/case-resolutions/case-closure-letter-search.html\">warning letters\u003c/a> — a method reserved for low-level offenses with minimal public harm — in the past decade, according to commission reports. Four in five cases where violations were found resulted in a letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/P72zW/\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>James Lindsay, enforcement chief of the commission, said in multiple public meetings that the increased use of warning letters was partly because the agency prioritized closing minor cases and acknowledged in June that it would become more difficult to find \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/nXSSZP2POHs?feature=shared&t=10279\">“easy closures.” \u003c/a>But he assured the commission in January that the letters were never issued “in scenarios that were not justified in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some ethics advocates, however, warned against the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of a policy to be caught up on mandates, you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” said Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics, and accountability manager at the California Common Cause. “The answer is not less enforcement or diminished fines. The answer is more person power to enforce the law adequately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t believe in the system’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Galvan — the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-adv-compton-councilman-20130729-story.html\">first Latino\u003c/a> to ever serve on the Compton City Council — was a symbol of hope for diverse representation, Blueford said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Galvan’s career was littered with violations, according to state and court records. He failed to file any disclosures before being elected in 2013, drawing a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/EnfDivCaseResults/stipulated-agreements/2013-sdo/november-sdo/galvan-for-compton-city-council-2013,-and-isaac-galvan1.html\">$1,000 fine from the commission\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2013-agendas/nov-2013-agenda.html\">November\u003c/a>. That did not stop him: He continued to file paperwork late until, in March 2017, he stopped filing altogether, according to the commission’s investigation, details of which have not been previously reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.comptoncity.org/departments/city-clerk/elections/election-results\">A month later\u003c/a>, he was reelected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also spent more than $55,000 of the money he raised between 2013 and 2017 for personal use, the investigation said. In 2017, he even \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BV3wF2iBP0e/\">posted about one of those expenses\u003c/a> at a Beverly Hills winery on social media, according to bank records included in the probe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009641\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png\" alt=\"An illustration of five tear sheets with highlighted text.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1481\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04.png 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-800x741.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-1020x944.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-160x148.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/101024-Galvam-Tear-Sheets-CM-04-1536x1422.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tear sheets \u003ccite>(Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the investigation, Galvan was hard to find, at times promising to provide records he never delivered, and efforts to directly serve him the subpoena for those records failed, commission documents show. Once, he was celebrating the premiere of the movie “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BbI7MY7BM2E/\">Daddy’s Home 2\u003c/a>” on the day the subpoena server tried to reach him, according to his social media post. On another occasion, Galvan entered the City Hall through a “private entrance,” documents show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-14/ex-compton-councilman-isaac-galvan-campaign-finance-fine-election-rigging-scandal\">fined Galvan $240,000\u003c/a> in 2022. However, the agency had not received a payment as of Oct. 9, commission spokesperson Jay Wierenga confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency opened the case in February 2016 and assigned it that September, adding more staff and devising a plan to investigate in June 2017, according to Wierenga and the agency’s own case chronology obtained via a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission’s leaders acknowledged that Galvan’s case “took too long to resolve and that staff should have been assigned sooner,” Wierenga said in an email. But he said that Galvan’s extensive violations and lack of responsiveness was why the case took longer than normal, and asserted that recent reforms will “prevent significant delays.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compton City Council member Andre Spicer, who replaced Galvan in 2022, called the long duration of the case “a disservice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that our lack of engagement is because we don’t believe in the system,” Spicer said. “If you have issues like this that take 10 years, eight years to sort out and damage is done, it reinforces the reasons why people don’t engage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galvan and his then-bookkeeper, Gary Crummitt, did not respond to multiple inquiries over two weeks for comment. When reached by CalMatters last month, Galvan’s attorney during the investigation, Anthony Willoughby, said in an email: “There are a lot of moving parts to the matter you are seeking comment on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Notoriously slow’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Galvan’s case is among many where, by the time they were resolved, the officials in question had won an election or left office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the city of Campbell in 2017, council members \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/november/3-City-of-Campbell-Stip.pdf\">paid for ads\u003c/a> with taxpayer dollars to influence election outcomes on three ballot measures about marijuana regulations, the commission found. However, the findings were only made public \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/hearings-meetings-workshops/current-agenda/past-agendas/2023-agendas/November-2023-agenda.html\">six years later\u003c/a>, after most of those officials had left office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-24/a-trip-to-boston-a-cigar-humidor-and-a-dutch-distillery-tour-how-one-oc-politician-abused-campaign-funds-for-a-100-000-fine\">Former state Assemblymember Bill Brough\u003c/a> spent campaign cash on family cell phone plans, hotel stays and a trip to a Boston Red Sox game, according to the commission, which didn’t conclude his case until last year, three years after he left office. Even he complained: “I just wanted to go on with my life,” the Los Angeles Times reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a three-year investigation into state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/diane-papan-165423\">Diane Papan\u003c/a> wrapped in May, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2021-00158-Papan-Warning-Letter.pdf\">resulting in a warning letter\u003c/a> for improper reporting of contributions when she ran for San Mateo City Council in 2020, according to records obtained by CalMatters. Papan’s campaign provided records to the agency in 2021, but the staff waited three years before reaching back out — so long that Papan’s attorney, former FPPC enforcement chief Gary Winuk, questioned the lack of action in an email to the staff and one witness the agency interviewed said he no longer remembered details of the contributions in question, records show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delays could create a sense that “there’s justice denied,” said Catharine Baker, the commission vice chairperson. “If you act too slowly if there isn’t a resolution, potential bad actors aren’t brought to any real significant justice, and the public can’t have faith that the rules are being enforced — that there is someone watching the henhouse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some open cases have also lasted years. Newsom, for instance, has been under a previously unreported investigation since 2021 for late disclosure of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/behested-payments.html\">behested payments\u003c/a> — donations to a person, nonprofit or a state agency at the behest of the public official that ethics experts say can be another avenue for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/california-lawmaker-nonprofits-politics-charity-campaign-finance-foundation-dark-money/\">special interests to curry favor\u003c/a>. Another probe for potential campaign reporting violations has also been open since 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint-and-case-information-portal.html\">commission records show\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials are \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/behested-payments.html\">required by state law\u003c/a> to disclose behested payments that total $5,000 or more from a single donor in a year, and upon meeting that dollar threshold, the official must report the payments within 30 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2019 and 2021, Newsom’s office failed to file 17 behested payments totaling more than $14 million on time, including one filed more than a year after the due date, according to records obtained by CalMatters via a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In emails to the commission, Newsom’s staff blamed the delays on donors notifying the governor’s office of the payments after filing deadlines. They also said the governor takes his “reporting obligations very seriously” and submitted the documents within days of discovering the payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those behested payments were made during the pandemic, “when the Governor’s office was focused on the quick mobilization of resources,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement last week. “Our office remains committed to transparency and complying with FPPC requirements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara — who accepted money in 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/07/20/state-insurance-commissioner-accepted-contributions-and-intervened-in-cases-affecting-donor-records-show/\">from donors with ties to insurers\u003c/a> his agency oversaw — has been under investigation for two years for allegations of laundering campaign donations, records show. Between 2021 and 2022, insurance companies funneled $122,500 through the leadership fund of the California Legislative LGBTQ caucus — where Lara served as vice chairperson and remains an ex-officio member — to support Lara, \u003ca href=\"https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/FPPCComplaint051922_0.pdf\">according to a complaint \u003c/a>filed by Carmen Balber, executive director of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which has also \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-consumer-watchdog-nonprofit-payments-20171215-story.html\">faced criticism for not disclosing its donors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last time she heard from the commission, Balber said, was when it opened the investigation in May 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lara told CalMatters last month he was not in touch with the agency and referred questions to his campaign attorney. The attorney, along with other groups named in the investigation, did not respond to a CalMatters inquiry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former commission chairperson Ann Ravel said while some cases are complicated and time-consuming, late filings of behested payments and campaign finance forms should be easy cases to close. “We know there are deadlines,” Ravel said. “If they cannot monitor that, what are they monitoring?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with complex cases, Ravel argued, swift resolution is possible. Right before the November 2012 election, the agency under her leadership forced Koch Brothers-associated groups to \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/11/05/california-political-watchdog-names-secret-11-million-campaign-contributors-claims-they-were-money-laundering/\">disclose $11 million\u003c/a> in illegal spending on a pair of propositions through an emergency ruling from the California Supreme Court. The groups \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-fppc-koch-brothers-campaign-finance-penalties-california-proposition-30-20131023-story.html\">were fined $1 million\u003c/a> a year later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That transparency was so important to the public, to the press, in order for there to be fairness in the system and also for people to have trust in government,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But speed is not all, Silver argued. “Just because you are spending a lot of time on one case doesn’t make it a waste of time,” he said. “It could have the effect of limiting complaints and violations in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009637\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009637\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg\" alt=\"A closeup image of the left side of a white man's face.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-46-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adam E. Silver, chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission, delivers closing remarks at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Political Reform Act at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jungho Kim/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And cases must be investigated fully for due process, even if no violations are ultimately found, said commission executive director Galena West, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc/organization-and-responsibilities/commissioners-and-executive-staff.html\">led the enforcement division for five years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Isn’t exonerating someone also valuable for the public to know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/about-fppc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agency’s goals\u003c/a> are to ensure public officials “act in a fair and unbiased manner,” promote government transparency, and build public trust in the political system, according to its website. State law and commission regulations do not explicitly require staff to resolve cases before elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But frustration lingers among campaign finance attorneys, those who filed complaints and even politicians under investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The FPPC is so notoriously slow that it’s not worth bugging them,” Balber said. “If campaign violations are not identified and prosecuted in a timely manner, then after-the-fact penalties have no impact on the elected officials who are being investigated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delays create loopholes for officials willing to chalk up the penalties as the cost of winning an election, said McMorris of California Common Cause, who likened the state campaign finance laws to “a tube of toothpaste under pressure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s multiple holes in it. You plug one, those bad actors immediately go find the other hole that they can exploit,” he said. “It diminishes public trust in the democratic process and in our representatives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for public officials who “inadvertently” made a mistake or who are innocent, the lengthy probe is “like a sword hanging over your head” even after leaving office, said Glazer, the state legislator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Treasurer Fiona Ma — who was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/budget-cuts-newsom-california/#wm-story-2\">fined $11,500\u003c/a> earlier this year for failing to disclose more than $860,000 in payments in her 2018 campaign — said the yearslong investigation meant extra costs to retain her treasurer and attorney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just going to have to pay a fine at some point, so just send me the bill,” Ma, a 2026 candidate for lieutenant governor, told CalMatters. “But you know what? This is … the cost of doing business in elected office. It just is. Everybody gets fined, just how much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What caused the backlog?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anecdotes of backlogs and delays reached Baker before she was appointed to the commission in 2021, she said. And early in her tenure, she quickly noticed how old cases were by the time staff presented them for commission decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘Look, there’s a problem. It’s severe. And we must do something,’” Baker said in an interview with CalMatters, joined by Wierenga, the spokesperson. “If we don’t, our tenures on this commission … will be partly a failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The influx of complaints and referrals from state and local agencies contributed to the backlog, Baker said. Over the past decade, the number of complaints and referrals has generally crept up and surged in election years, peaking in 2022 with 3,103, compared to a low of 1,205 in 2015, according to the CalMatters analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers also assigned the agency more duties over the years, Baker and Wierenga noted. Wierenga said the agency’s caseload jumped in 2015 when the California Secretary of State \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2015/May/Streamline%20memo%20-%205-11-15.pdf\">began referring campaigns\u003c/a> that failed to file a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB1001\">$50 annual fee\u003c/a>. The commission received 2,460 referrals on May 1, 2015 — almost five times the number of referrals from all other agencies combined that year, he wrote in an email. In 2021,\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1590\"> the enforcement of the law\u003c/a> was transferred back to the Secretary of State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laws increasing disclosure of donors in campaign ads — including a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2188\">2018 law\u003c/a> that regulated the text, color and font size — added more work for the commission, Wierenga said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/lawandpolicy/2022/november/comment-letter-intake.pdf\">staff responsible for parsing out complaints and referrals worth investigating \u003c/a>sometimes opened cases when they shouldn’t have, especially under the pressure of high caseloads, Lindsay told the commission in January. Inexperienced staff also lacked understanding of the law, leaving the manager scrambling to train them, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/lawandpolicy/2022/november/comment-letter-intake.pdf\">according to a 2022 memorandum\u003c/a> by unit manager Tara Stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re overwhelmed, you’re not sure what the right answer is, the thought process is: ‘There’s no harm in moving that case forward,’” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/30lsfBeIboE?feature=shared&t=8064\">Lindsay said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burdensome “red tape” — including layers of reviews and approvals required to escalate a case — and a digital recordkeeping system that’s hard to navigate compounded the problem, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">staff said\u003c/a>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">2022 letter\u003c/a>, staff described the system as “slow, cumbersome, and sometimes, downright tedious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/DDtUf/\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers and ethics advocates — while bemoaning slow enforcement — argue the agency is chronically understaffed and underfunded. The department’s budget and its number of employees, however, have steadily climbed — from $11.8 million and 66 employees in \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/publication/#/e/2017-18/Agency/8000\">fiscal year 2017–18\u003c/a> to $19.6 million and 109 employees \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/2024-25EN/#/Agency/8000\">this year\u003c/a>, according to \u003ca href=\"https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/publication/#/e/2017-18/Agency/8000\">state budget\u003c/a> records.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The increases were largely tied to additional duties, however, and the agency’s base funding is not adequate, argued McMorris of California Common Cause. Elected officials may lack the political will to dedicate more money to the agency or to expand the agency’s authority, McMorris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You are essentially asking the politicians who are being policed by this agency to increase the budget for policing,” he said. “There’s a tendency to do the least amount and only do it when there’s a scandal or evidence that something’s being exploited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission has only been audited once — in 1998 — in its entire 50-year history. That’s because “elected leaders have decided it’s not in their interest to do so,” Glazer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Efforts to speed up enforcement\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over the years, the agency has \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.1.%20Eligibility%20Requirements%20and%20Considerations%20for%20Campaign%20Violations%20--%20Streamline%20(Tiers%20One%20and%20Two),%20Warning%20Letters%20and%20the%20Political%20Reform%20Education%20Program%20(PREP)%20(amended%206-12-24)%20ADA.pdf\">created and expanded programs\u003c/a> to expedite cases with minor violations. While commission leaders argue the steps can prevent backlogs, some ethics advocates say some programs are applied too broadly and could give bad actors too much leniency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To free up staff to pursue more egregious cases, the commission created a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.1.%20Eligibility%20Requirements%20and%20Considerations%20for%20Campaign%20Violations%20--%20Streamline%20(Tiers%20One%20and%20Two),%20Warning%20Letters%20and%20the%20Political%20Reform%20Education%20Program%20(PREP)%20(amended%206-12-24)%20ADA.pdf\">“streamline program”\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/march/9.0-Staff-Memo.pdf\">May 2015\u003c/a> and has since expanded it to include lower-tier violations, such as late filings, contributions above limits and recordkeeping errors. The cases often result in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18360.3.%20Penalties%20in%20Streamline%20Cases%20(amended%206-12-2024)%20ADA.pdf\">lower penalties\u003c/a> approved by the enforcement chief. Between 2015 and 2023, an average of 20% of cases closed with violations found each year went through that program, according to executive staff reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission also has had an \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/PREP.html\">educational program\u003c/a> since \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/media/press-releases/2024-news-releases/FPPC-News-Release-PREP-Program.html\">2022\u003c/a> to allow inexperienced offenders with low-harm violations to complete a class to avoid penalties. The Legislature \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB29\">funded three full-time staffers\u003c/a> for the program last year, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/media/press-releases/2024-news-releases/FPPC-News-Release-PREP-Program.html\">280 public officials\u003c/a> had completed the courses by August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program helps the commission spot those who flout the law, Silver said. “If you are taking that course for three hours, and you engage in the same violation … this person is acting in bad faith.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_12001120","label":"Related Story "},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, the agency adopted the policy directive to clear the enforcement backlog and has added staff attorneys to weed out frivolous complaints, West told CalMatters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the policy stopped short of setting hard deadlines after roughly 20 investigators, attorneys and consultants argued it would worsen “out of control” caseloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The backlog was so severe that some enforcement staffers recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2023/january/15.1-draft-enforcement-policy-goals-Nov22-LP.pdf\">closing all cases on alleged violations more than three years old\u003c/a> as long as they had not issued a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/LegalDiv/Regulations/Index/Chapter3/18361.4%20Probable%20Cause%20Proceedings.pdf\">“probable cause” report\u003c/a> against them. “There are no amount of hours in the day to resolve the current number of cases open,” said a December 2022 staff letter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, other staff warned that the approach may be a quick fix, arguing that previous attempts to close cases en masse due to insufficient resources “only treated the symptom — not the cause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009638\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg\" alt='A blue illustration that reads \"FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICE COMMISSION.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/091124_FPPC_Event_JK_CM-03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for the Fair Political Practices Commission at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Political Reform Act at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2024. \u003ccite>(Jungho Kim/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Legislative efforts to set enforcement deadlines have failed. This year, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2990\">a bill\u003c/a> introduced by state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/evan-low-11\">Evan Low\u003c/a>, a Cupertino Democrat, would have required enforcement actions against most violations within two years. Low, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/us-house/#district-16\">who is running for Congress\u003c/a>, is still under investigation by the commission for alleged violations in 2020, when CalMatters reported that he \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/projects/state-investigates-evan-low-tech-foundation-calmatters-report/\">failed to disclose donors to a nonprofit affiliated with a legislative caucus he helps lead.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low told CalMatters the bill wouldn’t have applied to his case but declined to comment on his own investigation. Expeditious enforcement, he said, would absolve the innocent quickly when ethics complaints are “weaponized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s not concluded in real-time, then you have a cloud hanging over you for perpetuity,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy directive — and more warning letters — has worked, however. By September 2023, the division had already closed 35% of cases opened before 2023, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/EnforcementDiv/policy-directives/Policy%20Directives.pptx\">a quarterly report\u003c/a>. By January 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/january/Policy_Directivies_Update_Jan.pdf\">the closure rate climbed to 56%\u003c/a>. And by the end of May, it \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/AgendaDocuments/General%20Items/2024/june/10-ppt.pdf\">reached 68%\u003c/a>, with 917 unresolved cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warning letters work to deter violations because, like penalties, they are a bad look “on a campaign mailer,” Silver said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some ethics advocates, such as McMorris, argued that too many types of violations are eligible for warning letters or a streamlined process. “You now have a situation where you can take that backlog and scoop up a big load of those … complaints” and clear them, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balber cautioned against the heightened use of warning letters if the goal is solely to close cases more quickly, though a \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=2707814&amendid=0\">Consumer Watchdog-backed\u003c/a> political committee — formed in 2022 to support a proposed ballot measure \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2022/04/medical-malpractice-california-deal/\">increasing compensation cap for medical malpractice victims\u003c/a> — \u003ca href=\"https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/documents/enf_letter/2023/6-16-23/Consumer-Watchdog-Campaign-for-the-Fairness-for-Injured-Patients-Act-202101129.pdf\">received a letter\u003c/a> last year for failing to file disclosure reports on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you prioritize speed over quality, you get lesser results,” she said. “That, to me, says staff is being pressured to get done faster no matter the outcome, and that’s troubling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>For the record:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> This story was updated to correct when Isaac Galvan was indicted for an alleged bribery scheme.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12009602/notoriously-slow-lengthy-investigations-into-california-politicians-leave-voters-in-the-dark","authors":["byline_news_12009602"],"categories":["news_8"],"tags":["news_5587","news_29795","news_17968"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12009636","label":"news_18481"},"news_12009426":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12009426","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12009426","score":null,"sort":[1728945057000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"the-brutal-story-behind-californias-new-native-american-genocide-education-law","title":"The Brutal Story Behind California’s New Native American Genocide Education Law","publishDate":1728945057,"format":"standard","headTitle":"The Brutal Story Behind California’s New Native American Genocide Education Law | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>In the 1860s, an armed militia swept into the historic land of the Serrano people in the San Bernardino mountains and went on a killing spree, attempting to slaughter the entire tribe. A tribal leader named Santos Manuel led the surviving 30 members to safety in a nearby valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Manuel’s great-great-grandson has ensured that every K–12 student in California will learn the story of the Serrano people and other California native tribes who endured atrocities during the Spanish colonial and Gold Rush eras in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hope is that students learn the true history of California, the horror and the genocide, but also the resiliency of the Indian people,” said \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/james-ramos-149649\">Assemblymember James Ramos\u003c/a>, a descendent of Manuel who authored \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1821\">a bill requiring schools\u003c/a> to teach about the mistreatment and perspectives of Native Californians in social studies classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s time that the voices of California’s first people drive the educational process, especially when the subject is our ways, our people, our history,” said Ramos, who lives on the San Manuel Indian reservation in San Bernardino County and is the first Native Californian to serve in the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in September. It goes into effect Jan. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Expanding fourth-grade history curriculum\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The new law will be most relevant to fourth-graders when they study California history, exploring the stories of California missions, the discovery of gold and statehood — all of which profoundly impacted the indigenous people who’d lived in the region for at least 20,000 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssfwchapter7.pdf\">current fourth-grade history curriculum\u003c/a> covers the plight of Native Californians, but it’s only recommended and not required. As a result, lessons vary across school districts, with some students getting scant information – or lessons focused largely on the missions. Under Ramos’ law, lessons on the mistreatment of Native Californians will be mandatory. Some of the information may also be covered in California’s new ethnic studies requirement for high school students, which goes into effect in fall 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tribal leaders said they were pleased with the bill but hope students learn more about Native California history than just the tragedies. Ideally, they said, students should be learning the full breadth of Native history and culture: learning basket techniques in art class, reading Native authors in literature class, studying Native healing practices in health and science classes, and learning Native approaches to environmentalism, politics and economics throughout the entire curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’d also like to see schools develop relationships with local tribes, inviting members in to teach the tribe’s history, language and traditions. Students should learn at least some phrases in the local indigenous language, and the school should promote Native culture at every opportunity, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories matter for all Californians,” said William Bauer, a history professor at UC Riverside who specializes in Native Californian studies and is a member of the Round Valley tribe. “I’d hope kids leave school with the idea that California Indians have survived and thrived.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shannon Rivers, manager of the nonprofit Indigenous Education Now, a Los Angeles advocacy group, said the bill is much needed, but schools also need to do a better job specifically serving Native students, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/03/native-american-students-california/\">many of whom are struggling\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Native students lag behind the state average in nearly every measurement, including attendance, graduation rates, math and literacy scores and discipline. One solution, Rivers said, is to create special programs for Native students that focus on their history, language and traditions, which could boost students’ interest in school and help make curriculum more relevant to their lives. His group is currently working with Los Angeles Unified on such a plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important we do this, so Native students have a better understanding of who they are,” said Rivers, a member of the Akimel O’otham tribe in Arizona. “Although the challenge with all these initiatives is that Native people are not monolithic. They’re incredibly diverse, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disease, enslavement, killing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Spanish missionaries arrived in the late 1700s, at least 300,000 people lived among an estimated 200 tribes scattered in every part of California, making it one of the most densely populated and diverse regions in North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Native numbers began to decline with the arrival of Spanish missionaries, who brought diseases for which Natives had no immunity, including smallpox, malaria and diphtheria. The Spanish also introduced crops and livestock that altered the landscape and created food shortages for tribes. Thousands of native people died when they became enslaved or imprisoned at the missions, where they were forced to work in the fields and convert to Catholicism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most violent period followed the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills in the mid-1800s. Settlers, private militias and the U.S. troops carried out massacres across California with the intent of exterminating the Native population. By 1900, only about 16,000 Native Californians remained, many living in small groups away from their original homeland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009437\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white illustration of six Native Americans standing near each other outside.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1659\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-800x664.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1020x846.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-160x133.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1536x1274.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1920x1593.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of Native Americans belonging to the Ohalne, which lived along the coast of California, strecthing from San Francisco Bay to the lower Salinas Valley. This image is a reproduction of a painting by George H. Langsdorff done in 1806. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the California State Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the next century, the population gradually rebounded and Native people nurtured their culture and traditions despite being subject to abuse at government-run boarding schools, discrimination, and legal fights over land ownership. By 2020, there were about 1.4 million Californians who identified as at least part Native American, \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/california-population-change-between-census-decade.html\">according to the U.S. Census\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The violent history may be difficult to digest, especially for younger children, but schools should find thoughtful, sensitive ways to impart the full story of Native Americans in California, said Joely Proudfit, head of the Native American studies department at Cal State San Marcos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009436\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009436\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"A vintage image of Native American people sitting near a bark hut.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-800x628.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1020x800.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1536x1205.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1920x1506.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four Mono native women sit outside of a bark hut. Bark huts were traditionally built for winter habitation and provided protection from rain, snow and wind. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the California State Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The history of California is tragic. It’s brutal. It’s violent. Genocide occurred here,” said Proudfit, who is both Payómkawichum and Tongva, tribes that are indigenous to Southern California. “We need to be honest about our history, so maybe we’ll have some compassion and empathy with what’s happening in today’s world.” [aside postID=\"mindshift_64338,news_12001659,news_11970846\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that high-quality teacher training will be key in making Ramos’ bill a success. Even though the bill does not come with funding, she said the state should set aside money to help teachers learn the material and find effective ways to present it. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Currently, Proudfit helps run a nonprofit called \u003ca href=\"https://www.caindianeducationforall.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Indian Education for All\u003c/a> that provides free and low-cost training for teachers on how to teach about the history, culture and contributions of Native Californians.\u003c/span> But the task should not rely solely on volunteers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A state like ours, with its rich diversity of tribes, is going to need millions upon millions of dollars to create quality curriculum,” Proudfit said. “Asking cultural knowledge-keepers and professionally trained educators to continue to do these things for free is not appropriate. It’s a cultural taxation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Innocent bystanders’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In San Bernardino County, where Ramos’ family has lived for hundreds, if not thousands of years, the story of the 1860s massacre remains fresh. According to documents provided by the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society, the Serrano tribe did not provoke the attack; “they really were innocent bystanders,” said Lyn Killian, a librarian with the historical society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four young Paiute Indians from Utah, who had come west with a wagon train, became involved in a tit-for-tat skirmish with some local cowboys that resulted in several deaths and, according to local historians, the Piutes burning a sawmill. For revenge, an armed posse stormed into the Serrano village — even though the Serranos were not involved in the fighting — and chased the inhabitants to Chimney Rock, near Lucerne Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Despite their cover in the rocks, the Indians were wiped out,” according to a 1966 report by a local historian in the San Bernardino Sun-Telegram newspaper. “Posse men went on to destroy the nearby Indian village, even killing women and children. … The peaceful Serrano had taken no part in the mill burning, but they were driven from their ancestral home nonetheless.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the bloodshed, the remaining members of the tribe moved around the valley, pushed further and further east as more settlers arrived. In 1891, the federal government granted them a reservation and recognized their sovereignty. Last year, the San Manuel tribe had about 200 members, a casino, resort and charity that provides scholarships, after-school programs, housing assistance, environmental restoration, arts and music programs and support for other tribes, among other causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This history is still very much real to all of us, all California Indian people,” Ramos said. “With this bill, we have a chance to share the true accounts of what happened to us. And also that we’re still here, even though we were almost wiped off this earth. I sit now in the state Legislature with Serrano and Cahuilla blood in my veins. … That’s a story people should know.”\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A new law requires California students to learn Native American history in a way that includes the mistreatment and perspectives of tribal members.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1729034421,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":28,"wordCount":1625},"headData":{"title":"The Brutal Story Behind California’s New Native American Genocide Education Law | KQED","description":"A new law requires California students to learn Native American history in a way that includes the mistreatment and perspectives of tribal members.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Brutal Story Behind California’s New Native American Genocide Education Law","datePublished":"2024-10-14T15:30:57-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-15T16:20:21-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones\">Carolyn Jones, \u003c/a>CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12009426","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12009426/the-brutal-story-behind-californias-new-native-american-genocide-education-law","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the 1860s, an armed militia swept into the historic land of the Serrano people in the San Bernardino mountains and went on a killing spree, attempting to slaughter the entire tribe. A tribal leader named Santos Manuel led the surviving 30 members to safety in a nearby valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Manuel’s great-great-grandson has ensured that every K–12 student in California will learn the story of the Serrano people and other California native tribes who endured atrocities during the Spanish colonial and Gold Rush eras in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hope is that students learn the true history of California, the horror and the genocide, but also the resiliency of the Indian people,” said \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/legislators/james-ramos-149649\">Assemblymember James Ramos\u003c/a>, a descendent of Manuel who authored \u003ca href=\"https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab1821\">a bill requiring schools\u003c/a> to teach about the mistreatment and perspectives of Native Californians in social studies classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s time that the voices of California’s first people drive the educational process, especially when the subject is our ways, our people, our history,” said Ramos, who lives on the San Manuel Indian reservation in San Bernardino County and is the first Native Californian to serve in the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in September. It goes into effect Jan. 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Expanding fourth-grade history curriculum\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The new law will be most relevant to fourth-graders when they study California history, exploring the stories of California missions, the discovery of gold and statehood — all of which profoundly impacted the indigenous people who’d lived in the region for at least 20,000 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssfwchapter7.pdf\">current fourth-grade history curriculum\u003c/a> covers the plight of Native Californians, but it’s only recommended and not required. As a result, lessons vary across school districts, with some students getting scant information – or lessons focused largely on the missions. Under Ramos’ law, lessons on the mistreatment of Native Californians will be mandatory. Some of the information may also be covered in California’s new ethnic studies requirement for high school students, which goes into effect in fall 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tribal leaders said they were pleased with the bill but hope students learn more about Native California history than just the tragedies. Ideally, they said, students should be learning the full breadth of Native history and culture: learning basket techniques in art class, reading Native authors in literature class, studying Native healing practices in health and science classes, and learning Native approaches to environmentalism, politics and economics throughout the entire curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’d also like to see schools develop relationships with local tribes, inviting members in to teach the tribe’s history, language and traditions. Students should learn at least some phrases in the local indigenous language, and the school should promote Native culture at every opportunity, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories matter for all Californians,” said William Bauer, a history professor at UC Riverside who specializes in Native Californian studies and is a member of the Round Valley tribe. “I’d hope kids leave school with the idea that California Indians have survived and thrived.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shannon Rivers, manager of the nonprofit Indigenous Education Now, a Los Angeles advocacy group, said the bill is much needed, but schools also need to do a better job specifically serving Native students, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/03/native-american-students-california/\">many of whom are struggling\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Native students lag behind the state average in nearly every measurement, including attendance, graduation rates, math and literacy scores and discipline. One solution, Rivers said, is to create special programs for Native students that focus on their history, language and traditions, which could boost students’ interest in school and help make curriculum more relevant to their lives. His group is currently working with Los Angeles Unified on such a plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important we do this, so Native students have a better understanding of who they are,” said Rivers, a member of the Akimel O’otham tribe in Arizona. “Although the challenge with all these initiatives is that Native people are not monolithic. They’re incredibly diverse, especially in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disease, enslavement, killing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Spanish missionaries arrived in the late 1700s, at least 300,000 people lived among an estimated 200 tribes scattered in every part of California, making it one of the most densely populated and diverse regions in North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Native numbers began to decline with the arrival of Spanish missionaries, who brought diseases for which Natives had no immunity, including smallpox, malaria and diphtheria. The Spanish also introduced crops and livestock that altered the landscape and created food shortages for tribes. Thousands of native people died when they became enslaved or imprisoned at the missions, where they were forced to work in the fields and convert to Catholicism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the most violent period followed the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills in the mid-1800s. Settlers, private militias and the U.S. troops carried out massacres across California with the intent of exterminating the Native population. By 1900, only about 16,000 Native Californians remained, many living in small groups away from their original homeland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009437\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white illustration of six Native Americans standing near each other outside.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1659\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-800x664.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1020x846.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-160x133.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1536x1274.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Ohlone-Traditional-Dancing-CM-01-1920x1593.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of Native Americans belonging to the Ohalne, which lived along the coast of California, strecthing from San Francisco Bay to the lower Salinas Valley. This image is a reproduction of a painting by George H. Langsdorff done in 1806. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the California State Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the next century, the population gradually rebounded and Native people nurtured their culture and traditions despite being subject to abuse at government-run boarding schools, discrimination, and legal fights over land ownership. By 2020, there were about 1.4 million Californians who identified as at least part Native American, \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/california-population-change-between-census-decade.html\">according to the U.S. Census\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The violent history may be difficult to digest, especially for younger children, but schools should find thoughtful, sensitive ways to impart the full story of Native Americans in California, said Joely Proudfit, head of the Native American studies department at Cal State San Marcos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009436\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009436\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg\" alt=\"A vintage image of Native American people sitting near a bark hut.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-800x628.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1020x800.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1536x1205.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100924-Mono-Women-CM-01-1920x1506.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four Mono native women sit outside of a bark hut. Bark huts were traditionally built for winter habitation and provided protection from rain, snow and wind. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the California State Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The history of California is tragic. It’s brutal. It’s violent. Genocide occurred here,” said Proudfit, who is both Payómkawichum and Tongva, tribes that are indigenous to Southern California. “We need to be honest about our history, so maybe we’ll have some compassion and empathy with what’s happening in today’s world.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"mindshift_64338,news_12001659,news_11970846","label":"Related Stories "},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that high-quality teacher training will be key in making Ramos’ bill a success. Even though the bill does not come with funding, she said the state should set aside money to help teachers learn the material and find effective ways to present it. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Currently, Proudfit helps run a nonprofit called \u003ca href=\"https://www.caindianeducationforall.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Indian Education for All\u003c/a> that provides free and low-cost training for teachers on how to teach about the history, culture and contributions of Native Californians.\u003c/span> But the task should not rely solely on volunteers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A state like ours, with its rich diversity of tribes, is going to need millions upon millions of dollars to create quality curriculum,” Proudfit said. “Asking cultural knowledge-keepers and professionally trained educators to continue to do these things for free is not appropriate. It’s a cultural taxation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Innocent bystanders’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In San Bernardino County, where Ramos’ family has lived for hundreds, if not thousands of years, the story of the 1860s massacre remains fresh. According to documents provided by the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society, the Serrano tribe did not provoke the attack; “they really were innocent bystanders,” said Lyn Killian, a librarian with the historical society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four young Paiute Indians from Utah, who had come west with a wagon train, became involved in a tit-for-tat skirmish with some local cowboys that resulted in several deaths and, according to local historians, the Piutes burning a sawmill. For revenge, an armed posse stormed into the Serrano village — even though the Serranos were not involved in the fighting — and chased the inhabitants to Chimney Rock, near Lucerne Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Despite their cover in the rocks, the Indians were wiped out,” according to a 1966 report by a local historian in the San Bernardino Sun-Telegram newspaper. “Posse men went on to destroy the nearby Indian village, even killing women and children. … The peaceful Serrano had taken no part in the mill burning, but they were driven from their ancestral home nonetheless.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the bloodshed, the remaining members of the tribe moved around the valley, pushed further and further east as more settlers arrived. In 1891, the federal government granted them a reservation and recognized their sovereignty. Last year, the San Manuel tribe had about 200 members, a casino, resort and charity that provides scholarships, after-school programs, housing assistance, environmental restoration, arts and music programs and support for other tribes, among other causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This history is still very much real to all of us, all California Indian people,” Ramos said. “With this bill, we have a chance to share the true accounts of what happened to us. And also that we’re still here, even though we were almost wiped off this earth. I sit now in the state Legislature with Serrano and Cahuilla blood in my veins. … That’s a story people should know.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12009426/the-brutal-story-behind-californias-new-native-american-genocide-education-law","authors":["byline_news_12009426"],"categories":["news_18540","news_8"],"tags":["news_31933","news_28141","news_160","news_1262","news_31753"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12009433","label":"news_18481"},"news_12009129":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12009129","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12009129","score":null,"sort":[1728752400000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"despite-progress-k-12-reading-and-math-scores-are-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels","title":"Despite Gains, California K–12 Reading and Math Scores Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels","publishDate":1728752400,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Despite Gains, California K–12 Reading and Math Scores Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>California’s K–12 students are gradually rebounding from the pandemic, with nearly all student groups — especially lower-income, Black and Latino students — showing progress in math and English language arts, according to standardized test scores the state released Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s results suggest that California’s public schools are making encouraging gains, and these gains are largest for our most vulnerable groups of students,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, 47% of students statewide met or exceeded the English language arts standards, up from 46.7% the previous year, and 35.5% met or exceeded the math standard, up from 34.6% the previous year. Black, Latino and lower-income students showed bigger gains than the state average in most categories, although they still had lower scores overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12009130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07%E2%80%AFPM-scaled-e1728673803745.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1587\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745.jpg 1587w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-800x307.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-1020x392.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-160x61.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-1536x590.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1587px) 100vw, 1587px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Smarter Balanced test, given annually to students in grades 3 to 8 and 11, provides the most comprehensive look at how California’s students are faring academically. The test measures how much students know, as well as their critical thinking, writing ability and problem-solving skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the scores overall inched upward, they’re still far below pre-pandemic levels. Both English language arts and math scores are 4 percentage points below their 2018–19 levels, which were among the highest scores for California students since the state began administering the Smarter Balanced test in 2014–15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the results brought some hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s reason to be optimistic,” said Lucrecia Santibanez, an education professor at UCLA. “Given the multitude of students of California and the diversity, even small improvements are significant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also lauded the improvements among Black, Latino and lower-income students, many of whom suffered hardships during the pandemic. “Schools put a lot of work into helping those students, and it’s good to see things improving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Investments in tutoring pay off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond attributed the bump in scores to schools’ heavy investments in tutoring, after-school programs, training for teachers and other programs intended to help students catch up after most campuses closed for the 2020–21 school year due to COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those programs were funded through federal pandemic relief grants, which ended last month. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/09/pandemic-relief/\">Schools have been scrambling\u003c/a> to find new ways to pay for the programs, many of which are imperiled due to state budget uncertainty and declining enrollment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-2024-test-results.netlify.app/?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=California%20student%20test%20scores%20climb%20slightly%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Feducation%2Fk-12-education%2F2024%2F10%2Ftest-scores%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"920\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of particular interest were the third-grade results. Last year’s third graders started kindergarten during the pandemic, missing a key part of early education because most school campuses were closed, and they had to attend class remotely. Educators feared the scores would reflect that, but third graders performed about the same as their predecessors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Big gains for some districts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Watsonville Prep School, a charter school in Santa Cruz County where nearly all students are lower-income and Latino, saw big gains, especially in reading. Scores jumped 10 percentage points after the school instituted an “all hands on deck” approach to literacy, director of schools Andrea Hernandez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are really proud of our students,” Hernandez said. “We made this a priority, and it’s validating that it led to results. We’re excited, but the job isn’t done yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compton Unified continued its upward trajectory, with math and English language arts scores both climbing almost 3 percentage points. The Los Angeles County district, where 94% of students are lower-income, invested in a wide range of tutoring services, including tutors in classrooms, to provide immediate help for students who need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compton Unified has shown steady and remarkable progress,” Superintendent Darin Brawley said. “This achievement reflects the district’s commitment to equity, ensuring that all students receive the interventions and support necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified, in Solano County, also showed big gains. Math scores rose almost 8 percentage points, to 53% meeting or exceeding standards — well above the state average. The district hired a coach to help teachers improve how they teach math, focusing on helping students who traditionally lag in that subject. Latino and Black students’ scores shot up almost 6 percentage points.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The Smarter Balanced scores show improvement for both math and English language arts. Black, Latino and lower-income student scores climbed more than the state average, although they still had lower scores overall.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1728684283,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":true,"iframeSrcs":["https://calmatters-2024-test-results.netlify.app/"],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":20,"wordCount":730},"headData":{"title":"Despite Gains, California K–12 Reading and Math Scores Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels | KQED","description":"The Smarter Balanced scores show improvement for both math and English language arts. Black, Latino and lower-income student scores climbed more than the state average, although they still had lower scores overall.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Despite Gains, California K–12 Reading and Math Scores Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels","datePublished":"2024-10-12T10:00:00-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-11T15:04:43-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/carolyn-jones/\">Carolyn Jones\u003c/a>, CalMatters","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12009129/despite-progress-k-12-reading-and-math-scores-are-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s K–12 students are gradually rebounding from the pandemic, with nearly all student groups — especially lower-income, Black and Latino students — showing progress in math and English language arts, according to standardized test scores the state released Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s results suggest that California’s public schools are making encouraging gains, and these gains are largest for our most vulnerable groups of students,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, 47% of students statewide met or exceeded the English language arts standards, up from 46.7% the previous year, and 35.5% met or exceeded the math standard, up from 34.6% the previous year. Black, Latino and lower-income students showed bigger gains than the state average in most categories, although they still had lower scores overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12009130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07%E2%80%AFPM-scaled-e1728673803745.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1587\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745.jpg 1587w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-800x307.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-1020x392.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-160x61.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-11-24-at-12.07 PM-scaled-e1728673803745-1536x590.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1587px) 100vw, 1587px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Smarter Balanced test, given annually to students in grades 3 to 8 and 11, provides the most comprehensive look at how California’s students are faring academically. The test measures how much students know, as well as their critical thinking, writing ability and problem-solving skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the scores overall inched upward, they’re still far below pre-pandemic levels. Both English language arts and math scores are 4 percentage points below their 2018–19 levels, which were among the highest scores for California students since the state began administering the Smarter Balanced test in 2014–15.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the results brought some hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s reason to be optimistic,” said Lucrecia Santibanez, an education professor at UCLA. “Given the multitude of students of California and the diversity, even small improvements are significant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also lauded the improvements among Black, Latino and lower-income students, many of whom suffered hardships during the pandemic. “Schools put a lot of work into helping those students, and it’s good to see things improving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Investments in tutoring pay off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond attributed the bump in scores to schools’ heavy investments in tutoring, after-school programs, training for teachers and other programs intended to help students catch up after most campuses closed for the 2020–21 school year due to COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those programs were funded through federal pandemic relief grants, which ended last month. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/09/pandemic-relief/\">Schools have been scrambling\u003c/a> to find new ways to pay for the programs, many of which are imperiled due to state budget uncertainty and declining enrollment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://calmatters-2024-test-results.netlify.app/?initialWidth=780&childId=pym_0&parentTitle=California%20student%20test%20scores%20climb%20slightly%20-%20CalMatters&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcalmatters.org%2Feducation%2Fk-12-education%2F2024%2F10%2Ftest-scores%2F\" width=\"800\" height=\"920\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of particular interest were the third-grade results. Last year’s third graders started kindergarten during the pandemic, missing a key part of early education because most school campuses were closed, and they had to attend class remotely. Educators feared the scores would reflect that, but third graders performed about the same as their predecessors.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Big gains for some districts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Watsonville Prep School, a charter school in Santa Cruz County where nearly all students are lower-income and Latino, saw big gains, especially in reading. Scores jumped 10 percentage points after the school instituted an “all hands on deck” approach to literacy, director of schools Andrea Hernandez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are really proud of our students,” Hernandez said. “We made this a priority, and it’s validating that it led to results. We’re excited, but the job isn’t done yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compton Unified continued its upward trajectory, with math and English language arts scores both climbing almost 3 percentage points. The Los Angeles County district, where 94% of students are lower-income, invested in a wide range of tutoring services, including tutors in classrooms, to provide immediate help for students who need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compton Unified has shown steady and remarkable progress,” Superintendent Darin Brawley said. “This achievement reflects the district’s commitment to equity, ensuring that all students receive the interventions and support necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Benicia Unified, in Solano County, also showed big gains. Math scores rose almost 8 percentage points, to 53% meeting or exceeding standards — well above the state average. The district hired a coach to help teachers improve how they teach math, focusing on helping students who traditionally lag in that subject. Latino and Black students’ scores shot up almost 6 percentage points.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12009129/despite-progress-k-12-reading-and-math-scores-are-still-below-pre-pandemic-levels","authors":["byline_news_12009129"],"categories":["news_8"],"tags":["news_20013"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12009136","label":"news_18481"},"news_12008703":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12008703","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12008703","score":null,"sort":[1728507628000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"proposition-35-aims-to-improve-health-care-for-low-income-californians-critics-warn-it-could-backfire","title":"Proposition 35 Aims to Improve Health Care for Low-Income Californians. Critics Warn it Could Backfire","publishDate":1728507628,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Proposition 35 Aims to Improve Health Care for Low-Income Californians. Critics Warn it Could Backfire | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>Among the blitz of election ads flooding TV, social media and street corners, you won’t see any opposition to a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/10/california-propositions-november-election/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ballot measure\u003c/a> proposing to lock in billions of dollars to pay doctors more for treating low-income patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/propositions/prop-35-health-care-tax/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition 35\u003c/a> have a warning, even if they don’t have the money to pay for ads: The measure could backfire and cause the state to lose billions in federal funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/07/medi-cal-mco-tax-initiative/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition 35 would take an existing tax on health insurance plans\u003c/a> and use the money to increase payment to doctors and other providers who see Medi-Cal patients. Its supporters have \u003ca href=\"https://powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">raised $50 million\u003c/a>, drawing from groups representing hospitals, doctors and insurers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/medi-cal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medi-Cal\u003c/a>, the subsidized insurance plan serving some 14 million Californians, has ballooned in size over the past decade with increased eligibility and benefits. But those changes haven’t come with a commensurate increase in payment to doctors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, health care providers and advocates say too few doctors accept Medi-Cal, leaving patients with nowhere to turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2024/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a>, the measure is leading and likely to pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents, represented by a small coalition of community health advocates, seniors and activists for good governance, say the details of the proposition put the state at risk of losing billions in federal funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because the federal government, under both the Biden and Trump administrations, has warned California that its tax on health plans to fund Medi-Cal services takes unfair advantage of a loophole in federal regulations. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services intends to close that loophole, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CA-MCO-Tax-Waiver.pdf\">regulators wrote in a letter\u003c/a> to California officials late last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the fatal flaw of this initiative,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Coalition, which is leading the opposition. “We can all have opinions on how to spend the money, but we have to raise the funds first.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem, opponents say, lies in how California taxes health plans and how Proposition 35 limits changes in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, the Managed Care Organization Tax, also known as the MCO Tax, generates revenue for Medi-Cal by taxing health insurers that serve both Medi-Cal and commercially insured patients. The federal government gives California a dollar-for-dollar match to whatever the tax raises funds. For Proposition 35, that’s an estimated $7 billion to $8 billion annually through 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, California has historically placed the majority of the tax burden on Medi-Cal insurers and not commercial insurers. In its letter to state officials, federal regulators said Medi-Cal plans represent 50% of all insured people but bear “99% of the total tax burden.” That is at odds with the spirit of the law, which is meant to redistribute revenue from commercial insurers to Medi-Cal plans, regulators wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 35 would cap the tax on commercial insurers at a minimal rate. Any attempts to modify the tax would have to go back to the ballot box or be approved by three-fourths of the Legislature. Opponents say that means federal rule changes requiring the commercial tax to be more equal to the Medi-Cal tax will force the state to reduce taxes on the Medi-Cal plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The end result of that is when the federal government makes good on their promise to change the rules on this tax, the revenue we raise from this tax will be dramatically reduced, and we would leave billions of dollars on the table,” Savage-Sangwan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proponents of the measure said this argument is false but did not provide details. They say Proposition 35 will make the Medi-Cal program more stable and higher rates will encourage more providers to see low-income patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Medi-Cal reimbursement rates fall in the bottom third compared to all other states, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/medicaid/state-indicator/medicaid-to-medicare-fee-index/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22All%20Services%22,%22sort%22:%22desc%22%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/02/midwife-medi-cal/?series=no-deliveries-maternity-care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rates for specific services like obstetrics\u003c/a> are among the lowest in the country.[aside label=\"2024 California Voter Guide\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/voterguide,Learn everything you need to cast an informed ballot for the 2024 general election' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Voter-Guide-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Prop. 35 is a critically needed investment to protect and expand access to care for Medi-Cal patients and all Californians,” said Molly Weedn, spokesperson for the Yes on Prop. 35 campaign, in a statement. “The principal purpose behind Prop. 35 is to provide stability and predictability… to address the significant shortfall of providers who can see Medi-Cal patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Association of Health Plans said that it did not ask for the commercial tax cap in the proposition and that it has historically supported this tax structure to pay for Medi-Cal. A higher tax on commercial plans could increase premiums.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where is Gov. Newsom on Proposition 35?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The largest donors to the yes campaign are the California Hospital Association, Global Medical Response, and the California Medical Association, which collectively donated $38 million. Opponents have raised no money, according to \u003ca href=\"https://powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state campaign finance records\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has not taken a formal stance on the measure, although he said at a press conference in July that he’s concerned about how it would lock in tax revenue for a single purpose. The state budget he signed that month shifted most of the tax revenue from the tax on health insurers into the general fund to pay for the Medi-Cal program.[aside label=\"From the 2024 Voter Guide\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california,Learn about the California Propositions' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Propositions-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If voters approve Proposition 35, the state would face a $2.6 billion deficit in the current budget, which relies on the tax to fill in gaps. That deficit would increase to $11.9 billion over the next three budget cycles, according to an analysis from the Department of Finance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This initiative hamstrings our ability to have the kind of flexibility that’s required at the moment we’re living in. I haven’t come out publicly against it. But I’m implying a point of view. Perhaps you can read between those many, many lines,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/newsom-ballot-measures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newsom said at the press conference\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office did not respond to multiple requests on whether he would formally oppose the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage-Sangwan said the opposition had not solicited any money for their campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are using the very small megaphone that we do have to just get the facts out,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Trade-offs in 2024 health care ballot measure\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The political split over Proposition 35 is unusual. The measure’s opponents are often on the same side as its supporters when it comes to health policy issues in the Capitol. But community health advocates say they’re speaking up because the future ramifications of the initiative are too risky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make clear that the goals of the prop are goals we agree with. We recognize our providers in Medi-Cal are paid far too little, and that disproportionately impacts people of color, children of color especially,” said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership, another opposing group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers agree. During multiple budget hearings, Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat from Van Nuys, came to oppose the proposition in part because the industry organizations that negotiated who would get money from the tax left out “community providers” and those “who don’t have high-paid lobbyists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By listening to those with boots on the ground, the legislature developed a plan to equitably address many Medi-Cal concerns over the next few years,” Menjivar said in a statement from the opposition campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tax is expected to generate more than $30 billion over the next four years. The budget Newsom signed puts most of the money in the state’s general spending account but sets aside roughly $2 billion to increase rates for services, including community health workers, private duty nursing, adult and children’s day centers and children at risk of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/07/medi-cal-eligibility-california-review/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">automatic Medi-Cal disenrollment\u003c/a>. If Proposition 35 passes, different groups will get rate increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Weedn with the Yes on Prop. 35 campaign said the initiative won’t automatically cause cuts if it passes. It would be up to the Legislature to decide how to pay for the programs opponents are worried about, she said, and that the initiative provides about $2 billion of flexible dollars annually for legislative priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15%E2%80%AFAM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12008728\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt='A screenshot of a graph that reads \"Which California health providers get rate increases under the MCO tax?\"' width=\"1258\" height=\"1346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM.png 1258w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-800x856.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-1020x1091.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-160x171.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1258px) 100vw, 1258px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Proposition 35 would take an existing tax on health insurance plans and use the money to increase payment to doctors who see Medi-Cal patients. Critics say it could backfire and cause the state to lose billions in federal funding.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1728502830,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":34,"wordCount":1491},"headData":{"title":"Proposition 35 Aims to Improve Health Care for Low-Income Californians. Critics Warn it Could Backfire | KQED","description":"Proposition 35 would take an existing tax on health insurance plans and use the money to increase payment to doctors who see Medi-Cal patients. Critics say it could backfire and cause the state to lose billions in federal funding.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Proposition 35 Aims to Improve Health Care for Low-Income Californians. Critics Warn it Could Backfire","datePublished":"2024-10-09T14:00:28-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-09T12:40:30-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/kristen-hwang\">Kristen Hwang, \u003c/a>CalMatters","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12008703/proposition-35-aims-to-improve-health-care-for-low-income-californians-critics-warn-it-could-backfire","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Among the blitz of election ads flooding TV, social media and street corners, you won’t see any opposition to a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2024/10/california-propositions-november-election/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ballot measure\u003c/a> proposing to lock in billions of dollars to pay doctors more for treating low-income patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/propositions/prop-35-health-care-tax/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition 35\u003c/a> have a warning, even if they don’t have the money to pay for ads: The measure could backfire and cause the state to lose billions in federal funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/07/medi-cal-mco-tax-initiative/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition 35 would take an existing tax on health insurance plans\u003c/a> and use the money to increase payment to doctors and other providers who see Medi-Cal patients. Its supporters have \u003ca href=\"https://powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">raised $50 million\u003c/a>, drawing from groups representing hospitals, doctors and insurers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/medi-cal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medi-Cal\u003c/a>, the subsidized insurance plan serving some 14 million Californians, has ballooned in size over the past decade with increased eligibility and benefits. But those changes haven’t come with a commensurate increase in payment to doctors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, health care providers and advocates say too few doctors accept Medi-Cal, leaving patients with nowhere to turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-their-government-september-2024/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a>, the measure is leading and likely to pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents, represented by a small coalition of community health advocates, seniors and activists for good governance, say the details of the proposition put the state at risk of losing billions in federal funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because the federal government, under both the Biden and Trump administrations, has warned California that its tax on health plans to fund Medi-Cal services takes unfair advantage of a loophole in federal regulations. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services intends to close that loophole, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/CA-MCO-Tax-Waiver.pdf\">regulators wrote in a letter\u003c/a> to California officials late last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the fatal flaw of this initiative,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Coalition, which is leading the opposition. “We can all have opinions on how to spend the money, but we have to raise the funds first.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem, opponents say, lies in how California taxes health plans and how Proposition 35 limits changes in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, the Managed Care Organization Tax, also known as the MCO Tax, generates revenue for Medi-Cal by taxing health insurers that serve both Medi-Cal and commercially insured patients. The federal government gives California a dollar-for-dollar match to whatever the tax raises funds. For Proposition 35, that’s an estimated $7 billion to $8 billion annually through 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, California has historically placed the majority of the tax burden on Medi-Cal insurers and not commercial insurers. In its letter to state officials, federal regulators said Medi-Cal plans represent 50% of all insured people but bear “99% of the total tax burden.” That is at odds with the spirit of the law, which is meant to redistribute revenue from commercial insurers to Medi-Cal plans, regulators wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 35 would cap the tax on commercial insurers at a minimal rate. Any attempts to modify the tax would have to go back to the ballot box or be approved by three-fourths of the Legislature. Opponents say that means federal rule changes requiring the commercial tax to be more equal to the Medi-Cal tax will force the state to reduce taxes on the Medi-Cal plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The end result of that is when the federal government makes good on their promise to change the rules on this tax, the revenue we raise from this tax will be dramatically reduced, and we would leave billions of dollars on the table,” Savage-Sangwan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proponents of the measure said this argument is false but did not provide details. They say Proposition 35 will make the Medi-Cal program more stable and higher rates will encourage more providers to see low-income patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Medi-Cal reimbursement rates fall in the bottom third compared to all other states, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/medicaid/state-indicator/medicaid-to-medicare-fee-index/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22All%20Services%22,%22sort%22:%22desc%22%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2024/02/midwife-medi-cal/?series=no-deliveries-maternity-care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rates for specific services like obstetrics\u003c/a> are among the lowest in the country.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"label":"2024 California Voter Guide ","link1":"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide,Learn everything you need to cast an informed ballot for the 2024 general election","hero":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Voter-Guide-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Prop. 35 is a critically needed investment to protect and expand access to care for Medi-Cal patients and all Californians,” said Molly Weedn, spokesperson for the Yes on Prop. 35 campaign, in a statement. “The principal purpose behind Prop. 35 is to provide stability and predictability… to address the significant shortfall of providers who can see Medi-Cal patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Association of Health Plans said that it did not ask for the commercial tax cap in the proposition and that it has historically supported this tax structure to pay for Medi-Cal. A higher tax on commercial plans could increase premiums.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where is Gov. Newsom on Proposition 35?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The largest donors to the yes campaign are the California Hospital Association, Global Medical Response, and the California Medical Association, which collectively donated $38 million. Opponents have raised no money, according to \u003ca href=\"https://powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state campaign finance records\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has not taken a formal stance on the measure, although he said at a press conference in July that he’s concerned about how it would lock in tax revenue for a single purpose. The state budget he signed that month shifted most of the tax revenue from the tax on health insurers into the general fund to pay for the Medi-Cal program.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"label":"From the 2024 Voter Guide ","link1":"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california,Learn about the California Propositions","hero":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/Aside-California-Propositions-2024-General-Election-1200x1200-1.png"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If voters approve Proposition 35, the state would face a $2.6 billion deficit in the current budget, which relies on the tax to fill in gaps. That deficit would increase to $11.9 billion over the next three budget cycles, according to an analysis from the Department of Finance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This initiative hamstrings our ability to have the kind of flexibility that’s required at the moment we’re living in. I haven’t come out publicly against it. But I’m implying a point of view. Perhaps you can read between those many, many lines,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletter/newsom-ballot-measures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newsom said at the press conference\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office did not respond to multiple requests on whether he would formally oppose the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage-Sangwan said the opposition had not solicited any money for their campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are using the very small megaphone that we do have to just get the facts out,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Trade-offs in 2024 health care ballot measure\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The political split over Proposition 35 is unusual. The measure’s opponents are often on the same side as its supporters when it comes to health policy issues in the Capitol. But community health advocates say they’re speaking up because the future ramifications of the initiative are too risky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make clear that the goals of the prop are goals we agree with. We recognize our providers in Medi-Cal are paid far too little, and that disproportionately impacts people of color, children of color especially,” said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership, another opposing group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers agree. During multiple budget hearings, Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat from Van Nuys, came to oppose the proposition in part because the industry organizations that negotiated who would get money from the tax left out “community providers” and those “who don’t have high-paid lobbyists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By listening to those with boots on the ground, the legislature developed a plan to equitably address many Medi-Cal concerns over the next few years,” Menjivar said in a statement from the opposition campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tax is expected to generate more than $30 billion over the next four years. The budget Newsom signed puts most of the money in the state’s general spending account but sets aside roughly $2 billion to increase rates for services, including community health workers, private duty nursing, adult and children’s day centers and children at risk of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/07/medi-cal-eligibility-california-review/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">automatic Medi-Cal disenrollment\u003c/a>. If Proposition 35 passes, different groups will get rate increases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Weedn with the Yes on Prop. 35 campaign said the initiative won’t automatically cause cuts if it passes. It would be up to the Legislature to decide how to pay for the programs opponents are worried about, she said, and that the initiative provides about $2 billion of flexible dollars annually for legislative priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15%E2%80%AFAM.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12008728\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt='A screenshot of a graph that reads \"Which California health providers get rate increases under the MCO tax?\"' width=\"1258\" height=\"1346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM.png 1258w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-800x856.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-1020x1091.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-09-at-10.11.15 AM-160x171.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1258px) 100vw, 1258px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12008703/proposition-35-aims-to-improve-health-care-for-low-income-californians-critics-warn-it-could-backfire","authors":["byline_news_12008703"],"categories":["news_8"],"tags":["news_16","news_683","news_1054","news_2960","news_2605","news_34628","news_2679"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12008726","label":"news_18481"},"news_12008422":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12008422","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12008422","score":null,"sort":[1728484225000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"the-bay-delta-watershed-is-in-crisis-is-the-state-discriminating-against-people-who-fish-there","title":"The Bay-Delta Watershed Is in Crisis. Is the State Discriminating Against People Who Fish There?","publishDate":1728484225,"format":"standard","headTitle":"The Bay-Delta Watershed Is in Crisis. Is the State Discriminating Against People Who Fish There? | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ore than two dozen fishing rods were braced against the railing of San Francisco’s Pier 7, their lines dangling into the bay. People chatted on the benches, shouting in Cantonese and leaping up when one of the rods bent or jiggled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One after another, the men and women at the end of the pier reeled in striped bass as long as an arm and even thicker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not King Lee, a 72-year-old retired janitor who takes the bus to the pier almost every day. It had been 10 days since he had last caught anything worth eating. “Lucky, lucky, lucky guy,” Lee said, watching an angler reeling in a thrashing fish. “Today, I got nothing. I hope, later, I get one like this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a retiree living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, a good catch from the San Francisco Bay means a meal shared with family and friends — deep-fried smelt or steamed striped bass with a cold beer. When the fishing is bad, dinner is rice and vegetables on most days, with maybe a little store-bought meat or fish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fishing “is my main job now,” said Lee, who immigrated from Hong Kong more than 40 years ago. “Here, a lot of people do the same thing. Not much money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/\">Bay Area to Sacramento and Stockton, from Fresno to north of Redding\u003c/a>, Californians — particularly low-income \u003ca href=\"https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/currents/currents36-08-shilling-2009-0724/\">immigrants from Asian countries and other people of color\u003c/a> — rely on the San Francisco Bay and the rivers that feed it for food. But the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">vast watershed is in trouble\u003c/a>, plagued by low flows, algal blooms, urban and farm runoff and a legacy of mercury contamination that dates back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now investigating\u003ca href=\"https://www.restorethedelta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.08.08-REC_Acceptance_01RNO-23-R9.pdf\"> claims that California’s \u003c/a>management of the state’s largest estuary has “discriminated on the basis of race, color and national origin” with “its failure to update Bay-Delta water quality standards,” which involve how much water is diverted to cities and farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation also includes allegations that the State Water Resources Control Board “has intentionally excluded tribes and Black, Asian and Latino residents from participation in the policymaking process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filed by environmental justice groups and tribes, the discrimination complaint accuses the state water board of allowing the “waterways to descend into ecological crisis, with the resulting environmental burdens falling most heavily on Native tribes and other communities of color.” Water board officials wouldn’t comment on specifics but said it is giving the EPA “relevant information to demonstrate its compliance with all civil rights laws.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a black hoodie holds a fishing rod over the side of a pier and water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman Derrick Hines angles from a pier on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Antioch on May 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No one tallies how many people rely on Bay-Delta fish to eat, but the region has popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/pubs/report/R_612JMR.pdf\">sport fisheries for striped bass, catfish and other fish\u003c/a>. About 377,000 anglers from the Bay Area and Delta region are licensed to fish in California, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90% of people surveyed in low-income communities of color in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region reported that they eat locally caught fish \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Delta-Conveyance/Public-Information/DCP_EJ-Survey-Report-5-28-2021_Final_508.pdf\">four or more days per week\u003c/a>. “This suggests that subsistence fishing plays a central role in (their) lives,” the 2021 report produced for the California Department of Water Resources says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008482\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008482\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a gray shirt casts a fishing line out from the pole she is holding into a body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angler Allison Kerlegan fishes on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists say in addition to the Delta fish declines caused by diversions, people of color are disproportionally harmed by contamination of the fish they eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Poisons have been polluting the Bay-Delta and its fish for generations. Mercury from gold mining nearly 200 years ago contaminates the sediments. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Industrial chemicals, past and present, linger \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayreport2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltareport2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltareport2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">waterways\u003c/a>.\u003c/span> And a confluence of stagnation, \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359085171_Warming_in_the_upper_San_Francisco_Estuary_Patterns_of_water_temperature_change_from_five_decades_of_data\">warming waters\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/pubs/report/R_612JMR.pdf\">discharges from farms and cities\u003c/a> foster \u003ca href=\"https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/pdf/science-program/information-sheets/2022-10-21-draft-delta-harmful-algal-bloom-monitoring-strategy.pdf\">stinking, sometimes toxic algal blooms\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>African American, Lao and Vietnamese anglers who fish in the Delta ingest excessive amounts of mercury, much higher than the U.S. EPA recommends, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/california_waterfix/exhibits/docs/RestoretheDelta/RTD_231.pdf\">according to a 2010 UC Davis study.\u003c/a> Southeast Asians ate the most locally caught fish, followed by African American and Hispanic anglers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A whole generation of subsistence fishing families have already been exposed to harmful amounts of mercury and other poisons,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/currents/currents36-08-shilling-2009-0724/\">wrote\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/people/fraser-shilling\">Fraser Shilling\u003c/a>, the study’s co-author who now directs the UC Davis’ Road Ecology Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cintia Cortez, policy manager of Stockton-based Restore the Delta, said the Bay-Delta’s deterioration disconnects residents from the rivers and streams in their communities. “It’s their birthright to have access to safe waterways,” Cortez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Native tribes find their efforts to reconnect with the waterways they once called home \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/mercury/docs/tribes_%20fish_use.pdf\">thwarted by the plummeting populations of native fish and the noxious algae blooms.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tribes like us are trying to get back to those spaces, but how can we, when the state of the river is not healthy?” said Malissa Tayaba, \u003ca href=\"https://www.shinglespringsrancheria.com/government/tribal-council/\">vice chair of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians\u003c/a>, one of the tribes that brought the complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups want the two regional water quality boards responsible for the Bay-Delta to \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb9/water_issues/programs/basin_plan/docs/update082812/Chpt_2_2012.pdf\">officially recognize\u003c/a> subsistence and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-02/winter-rtoc-2022-presentation-tribal-beneficial-uses-water-boards.pdf\">tribal fishing and cultural uses\u003c/a> of its waterways, a step toward setting targets that protect people who use them. The Bay Area water board said it plans to propose designating tribal cultural uses in the next year and then tribal and other subsistence fishing within five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process has already dragged on too long, said Sherri Norris, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cieaweb.org/about-us/\">California Indian Environmental Alliance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s at stake is neurological learning disabilities, …not being able to teach culture to future generations and not being able to eat traditional foods,” Norris said. “We’re trying to protect our lives and our health.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But cleaning the waterways enough for people to rely on them for food “could be well past any of our lifetimes, to allow natural processes to cover up the sins that we did during the Gold Rush,” said Patrick Pulupa, executive officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, which manages Delta water quality issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008486\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008486\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg\" alt='A sign with illustrations of fish and a truck with graffiti with text that reads \"A Guide to Eating Fish From San Francisco Bay.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A warning sign regarding fish consumption is posted at the start of Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. Striped bass were the prevalent species reeled in by nearby fishermen at the end of the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17459365/\">many are unaware of the risks\u003c/a> despite state efforts and warnings. An easy-to-miss sign on San Francisco’s Pier 7 warns which fish are unsafe to eat, which are safe and in what quantities. But the sign is only posted in English, which only two of the roughly 12 anglers on the end of the pier that day said they could speak. Those who need translations must call a number on the sign or use a QR code to find them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008487\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008487\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a fishing hat and red jacket holds a fishing pole over the side of a piece with a city in the background.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman Milan Gurung tries his luck from Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. Striped bass were the prevalent species reeled in from the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lee has seen the warning, and doesn’t eat \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/update/sharks-san-francisco-bay/\">leopard shark\u003c/a> because it’s \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayposter2023english.pdf\">highly contaminated with mercury\u003c/a>. Otherwise, he’s not concerned — he thinks the tides keep the bay clean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008484\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008484\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg\" alt=\"Three men and a woman wearing fishing hats and dark clothing stand on a pier with one man walking away while holding a fish.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fisher hauls a striped bass landed out of the bay from Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. The catch was one of numerous striped bass that landed and was kept for consumption from the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The truth, though, is that even the tides can’t wash away the poisons tainting the Delta or the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘That’s why they call it the dirty Delta’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The vast watershed, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems, stretches \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/hearings/byron_bethany/docs/exhibits/wsid_cdwa_sdwa/wsid0103.pdf\">from around Fresno to beyond the Oregon border\u003c/a>. The rivers come together at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/sacramento-san-joaquin-delta\">Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta\u003c/a> and flow out to the Pacific through the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For two centuries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaymercury/final_legacy_pollution.pdf\">cities, mining, agriculture and industry\u003c/a> have flushed the waterways with their waste, even as \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-18-473.pdf\">they’ve sapped freshwater flows. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why they call it the dirty Delta,” said Jacob Weber as he fished at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/antioch-oakley\">Antioch/Oakley pier\u003c/a> on the San Joaquin River one morning. Even on a clear, bright day, the sun couldn’t penetrate the murky waters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ll get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, let’s go out to the Delta,’” said Weber, an Oakley resident who fishes mostly for fun but will sometimes eat fish caught farther out toward the bay. “Y’all go on your boat, but I’m not swimming in that nasty-ass water.” As for the fish, he said, “It’d be nice if they weren’t so nasty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mercury, which is responsible for the \u003ca href=\"https://waterboards.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7c8734c24be34287a8bfab0c91ebdeb4\">majority of California’s warnings\u003c/a> to limit eating fish from across the state, is among a cocktail of contaminants in the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayreport2023.pdf\">bay\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltareport2022.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltareport2022.pdf\">Delta\u003c/a>. The heavy metal is especially dangerous for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health#:~:text=Foetuses%20are%20most%20susceptible%20to,methylmercury%20is%20impaired%20neurological%20development\">developing brains of unborn babies\u003c/a> and children, contributing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp46-c1.pdf\">birth differences\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/reports/global_warming/ctamercury0205pdf.pdf\">developmental delays, and vision, hearing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26109549/\">and learning difficulties\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the Gold Rush, forty-niners \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs06100/pdf/fs06100.pdf\">mined mercury from the Coast Ranges\u003c/a> and used it to extract gold scoured from the Sierra Nevada. \u003ca href=\"https://antr.assembly.ca.gov/sites/antr.assembly.ca.gov/files/hearings/Background%20paper032414.pdf\">Millions of pounds\u003c/a> leached into the environment, flowing into creeks and rivers that empty into the Delta and Bay, where it has poisoned sediments and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-07/documents/12-sf-bay-mercury-tmdl-implementation-report-2015-06-15.pdf\">built up\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-07/documents/14-sac-sjr-mercury-tmdl-implementation-report-2015-06-15.pdf\">in fish\u003c/a> ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy industry brought \u003ca href=\"https://waterboards.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7c8734c24be34287a8bfab0c91ebdeb4\">the state’s second-greatest contaminant of concern\u003c/a>: polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Used in \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaypcbs/pcbs_tmdl_facts0627.PDF\">electric transformers and an array of products\u003c/a>, PCBs increase cancer risk and can harm the growth and brain development of unborn babies and children. Although their manufacture was banned in 1979, the chemicals persist in sediment and fish tissues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/projects/pbdes-san-francisco-bay-summary-report\">Flame retardants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/project/Session%204_Talk%2001_Davis.pdf\">forever chemicals\u003c/a> known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also are found in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/biblio_files/2019%20Sport%20Fish%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a> and Delta fish\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the contamination, California’s environmental health agency warns children, teens and people who could become pregnant to completely avoid eating popular sport fish such as striped bass and sturgeon caught in \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayposter2023english.pdf\">the bay\u003c/a> and in the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltaposter2022english.pdf\">Northern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltaposter2022english.pdf\">Central and South Delta\u003c/a>. Men should only eat one hand-sized serving of these fish a week. For areas near the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/port-stockton\">Port of Stockton\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/fish/advisories/lauritzen-channel\">a Superfund site in Richmond\u003c/a>, the waters are so polluted that no one is supposed to eat anything they catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are wary of eating Delta fish, which cuts off a free source of food, \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Delta-Conveyance/Public-Information/DCP_EJ-Survey-Report-5-28-2021_Final_508.pdf\">according to a state survey of the region’s disadvantaged communities.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fishing has extremely deteriorated over the last 20 years, and we are now leery to eat the fish that we catch,” said one person who answered the survey. “We used to eat the fish we caught. I don’t trust the water quality anymore, but the nostalgia … is still very important to me,” another said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008483\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008483\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a cap backwards and a grey and red shirt with white designs hold to fishing rods underneath an overpass.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman David Thao angles for striped bass on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Down the pier from Weber, Derrick Hines was hoping to catch a striped bass. He fishes four days a week — mostly for fun but also to bring home fresh fish for his family, including his children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hines said he’s talked to some fishermen who’ve “been eating it for 30 years, and they never had a problem,” he said. On the other hand, “I get people here who know people who’ve gotten sick from this type of fish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his family eat what he catches only about once or twice a month, he said. “What can we do about it? This is the water that we fish in,” Hines said. “I’m pretty sure all types of fish have some type of contaminants in it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups worry that, under current water quality targets\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>the Bay-Delta will never be cleaned up enough to protect the people who rely on it regularly for food or cultural activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The cleanup goals, even if they were going to take 100 years or 120 years, were not necessarily going to get us down to the levels that would protect these most vulnerable people,” said \u003ca href=\"https://cleanwater.org/about/people/andria-ventura\">Andria Ventura\u003c/a>, legislative and policy director for the nonprofit advocacy group Clean Water Action. \u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>What do we do about … the people bringing home fish because they want to feed their family?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, about \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafoodbanks.org/food-insecurity-data/\">one in four households struggles with food insecurity\u003c/a>, according to Northwestern University research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cieaweb.org/staff/\">Norris\u003c/a>, of the California Indian Environmental Alliance, said the region’s water regulators \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/tmdl/central_valley_projects/delta_hg/dmcp_staffrpt_spr.pdf\">have been dragging their feet\u003c/a>. “It feels like they’re just hoping that tribes and communities will just give up,” Norris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The regulators “view fishing as a recreational choice, and not as a necessity,” UC Davis’ Shilling said. “People who are subsistence fishing, this is part of their shopping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/project/Final%20Report%20on%20Questionnaire%20Development%20ADA%20Compliant%20SFEI%20Website.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans to conduct a survey to better understand which fish people are eating and in what amounts \u003c/a>to gauge whether they need more stringent protection.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But officials say there is only so much they’ll be able to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The uncomfortable truth is we have to look at the laws that we have available…and many of those laws would not allow us to turn the clock back to pre-Gold Rush times,” said Pulupa of the Central Valley water quality agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Blooms of neon green algae\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On a Saturday morning in June, Andy Ramirez was the only person fishing from a walkway around downtown Stockton’s McLeod Lake, an offshoot of the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel portion of the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was hoping to snag some striped bass before the lake becomes unfishable when temperatures climb and fluorescent green algae creeps across it. \u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/where/freshwater_events.html\">The lake was spared the last two summers.\u003c/a> But many summers, he said, “I drive over the freeway, and you can see it,” Ramirez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He can smell it, too. “It makes me sad,” said Ramirez, a Stockton resident who fished McLeod Lake as a child. “I think our city should take better care of the water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harmful algal blooms — many of them fed by fertilizers from farm fields and urban runoff, fueled by warming temperatures and nurtured in stagnant waters — are \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dz769db\">on the rise globally \u003c/a>and in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479723023940#bib33\">Bay-Delta\u003c/a>. Back-to-back \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/HAB_FAQ.html\">red tides\u003c/a> killed \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/emergency-white-sturgeon-harvest-regulations-now-in-effect\">tens of thousands of fish\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/06/white-sturgeon-gains-california-protection-species/\">including sturgeon\u003c/a>, for two summers in a row in San Francisco and San Pablo bays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inland, blooms of microorganisms known as cyanobacteria regularly turn parts of the rivers a stinking, neon green in summer. These blooms also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/harmful-algal-blooms/hcp/clinical-signs/symptoms-freshwater-harmful-algal-blooms.html\">sometimes produce toxins\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/habs/what-are-effects-habs\">can make people sick\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/ecotoxicology/document/microcystin031209.pdf\">kill dogs and other animals\u003c/a>, and can be so noxious that they drive people away from areas they once fished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jesse Zeigler, who reeled in a striped bass from the Antioch/Oakley pier, said he stopped fishing in Stockton five or six years ago because of the algae. “It was horrible,” he said. “I didn’t want to have my hands all over it. Rub your eyes or your nose, and then you’ve got another issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same fish also contain mercury and other contaminants, so state officials warn anglers to limit their consumption and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/portofstocktonposter.pdf\">not eat anything\u003c/a> they catch near the Port of Stockton and in Smith Canal, including McLeod Lake, where Ramirez was fishing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008478\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\" alt=\"A tackle box with fishing gear in each space.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An angler’s tackle box with fishing gear on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Rio Vista on May 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Laura Twardochleb, an environmental program manager with the State Water Resources Control Board, said the algae tend to flourish in hotspots with slow-moving water and low circulation, but it’s difficult to tell how important water flows are relative to other factors like nutrients or temperature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008479\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008479\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg\" alt='Yellow, red and green signs on a board showing different fishes with messages such as \"Eat Less\" and \"Do Not Eat.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Warning signs alert anglers to the dangers of fish consumption at the Antioch Fishing Pier at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Rio Vista on May 29, 2024. The Delta is a fishing hotspot for numerous species of gamefish. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As California water regulators \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">weigh new plans for managing the Bay-Delta\u003c/a>, community groups and tribes have sounded the alarm \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/docs/2023/staff-report/app-g1.pdf\">about a $2.9 billion pact\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/Initiatives/Voluntary-Agreements-Page/VA-FAQ\">Newsom administration reached in March 2022 with water suppliers\u003c/a> over operations in the region.[aside postID=\"news_12002229,science_1993633,science_1983938\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the deal would allow major \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/NewsRoom/email-items/VoluntaryAgreementMOUTermSheet20220329_SIGNED-20220811.pdf\">urban water providers and agricultural irrigation districts\u003c/a> to take more water from the Delta \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">than another regulatory proposal\u003c/a> would permit, but would also support improving habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tribes and environmental justice groups fear the deal, along with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/05/delta-tunnel-new-price-tag/\">a Newsom-backed, $20 billion proposal to replumb the Delta with a tunnel\u003c/a> to send more water south will worsen the stagnation and algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cortez of Restore the Delta remembers covering her mouth and nose with her shirt because of the stench wafting off a green McLeod lake when she went to high school nearby. “Clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water — when you look at our downtown, that’s not what you see,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The Delta is our original home’: A threat to tribal way of life\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For California’s Delta tribes, harmful algal blooms, dried-up streams and plummeting fish populations are threatening their painstakingly revived cultures. Before Euro-American contact, Malissa Tayaba’s ancestors were fishing people whose homelands spanned seven Northern California counties, the Sacramento River and key tributaries in the Delta watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.shinglespringsrancheria.com/government/tribal-council/\">Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians\u003c/a> is located far from the rivers they once called home, dispossessed and displaced onto a landlocked rancheria in El Dorado County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being taken from our homes really hurt us — our whole way of life is different,” said Tayaba, vice chair of the tribal council. “The Delta is our original home. It is where we come from … Whatever happens to the Delta is going to happen to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, Tayaba said, the tribe purchased land where the Feather River meets the Sacramento. But even with this reconnection to the water, noxious algae and filth have forced the tribe to cancel ceremonies and events at sites along the river.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008481\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008481\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\" alt=\"Three people sitting on a fishing boat in the middle of a body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anglers begin a morning of fishing on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Polluted waters give members pause about processing riverside plants for basketry the traditional way, using their hands and mouths. Once-abundant salmon that the tribe historically relied on have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/03/california-salmon-restrictions-ban-2024/\">declined so much\u003c/a> that commercial and recreational fishing have been canceled \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/ocean-recreational-and-in-river-salmon-sport-fisheries-in-california-closed-for-second-consecutive-season#:~:text=2022%2D2024%20News%20Releases&text=The%20California%20Fish%20and%20Game,Trinity%20rivers%20and%20their%20tributaries.\">in inland rivers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/04/california-salmon-fishing-banned-again/\">off California’s coast\u003c/a> for two years in a row.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a blow to tribes across California that \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/mercury/docs/tribes_%20fish_use.pdf\">rely heavily on salmon\u003c/a> and say that historically, members often ate locally caught fish at least daily. More now report that they eat fish they catch once a week or less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://bvtribe.com/tribal-historic-preservation.php\">Jesse Galvan,\u003c/a> a member of the California Valley Miwok tribe, works as the Tribal Historic Preservation Office coordinator for the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galvan said he spent many years fishing throughout the Delta with his grandfather, whom he called Papa and who died this summer. But he, too, is wary about eating what he catches, especially in more urbanized areas like Stockton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The water is just horrible. It looks really bad, it looks really murky. It’s not good quality water. You just think about that before you want to eat that fish,” Galvan said. “It’s a sad thing. I remember when I was a kid, we would eat a bunch of fish out of the Delta. Now, not as much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said, he tries to fish as much as he can — even if it’s just catch-and-release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the wars on water, you’ve got to cherish it as long as we’ve got it,” he said. “I don’t know when the government is going to tell me ‘hey you just can’t fish no more’ … All those memories I have with my grandfather, my Papa, will be gone. They’ll just be memories.”\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Immigrants, tribes and other people of color rely on fish from the San Francisco Bay and Delta rivers. California faces a federal discrimination probe for failing to protect them.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1728427502,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":72,"wordCount":3529},"headData":{"title":"The Bay-Delta Watershed Is in Crisis. Is the State Discriminating Against People Who Fish There? | KQED","description":"Immigrants, tribes and other people of color rely on fish from the San Francisco Bay and Delta rivers. California faces a federal discrimination probe for failing to protect them.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Bay-Delta Watershed Is in Crisis. Is the State Discriminating Against People Who Fish There?","datePublished":"2024-10-09T07:30:25-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-08T15:45:02-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/rachel-becker\">Rachel Becker, \u003c/a>CalMatters","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12008422/the-bay-delta-watershed-is-in-crisis-is-the-state-discriminating-against-people-who-fish-there","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">M\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ore than two dozen fishing rods were braced against the railing of San Francisco’s Pier 7, their lines dangling into the bay. People chatted on the benches, shouting in Cantonese and leaping up when one of the rods bent or jiggled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One after another, the men and women at the end of the pier reeled in striped bass as long as an arm and even thicker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not King Lee, a 72-year-old retired janitor who takes the bus to the pier almost every day. It had been 10 days since he had last caught anything worth eating. “Lucky, lucky, lucky guy,” Lee said, watching an angler reeling in a thrashing fish. “Today, I got nothing. I hope, later, I get one like this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To a retiree living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, a good catch from the San Francisco Bay means a meal shared with family and friends — deep-fried smelt or steamed striped bass with a cold beer. When the fishing is bad, dinner is rice and vegetables on most days, with maybe a little store-bought meat or fish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fishing “is my main job now,” said Lee, who immigrated from Hong Kong more than 40 years ago. “Here, a lot of people do the same thing. Not much money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/\">Bay Area to Sacramento and Stockton, from Fresno to north of Redding\u003c/a>, Californians — particularly low-income \u003ca href=\"https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/currents/currents36-08-shilling-2009-0724/\">immigrants from Asian countries and other people of color\u003c/a> — rely on the San Francisco Bay and the rivers that feed it for food. But the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">vast watershed is in trouble\u003c/a>, plagued by low flows, algal blooms, urban and farm runoff and a legacy of mercury contamination that dates back to the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now investigating\u003ca href=\"https://www.restorethedelta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.08.08-REC_Acceptance_01RNO-23-R9.pdf\"> claims that California’s \u003c/a>management of the state’s largest estuary has “discriminated on the basis of race, color and national origin” with “its failure to update Bay-Delta water quality standards,” which involve how much water is diverted to cities and farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation also includes allegations that the State Water Resources Control Board “has intentionally excluded tribes and Black, Asian and Latino residents from participation in the policymaking process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filed by environmental justice groups and tribes, the discrimination complaint accuses the state water board of allowing the “waterways to descend into ecological crisis, with the resulting environmental burdens falling most heavily on Native tribes and other communities of color.” Water board officials wouldn’t comment on specifics but said it is giving the EPA “relevant information to demonstrate its compliance with all civil rights laws.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008480\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a black hoodie holds a fishing rod over the side of a pier and water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-23-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman Derrick Hines angles from a pier on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Antioch on May 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No one tallies how many people rely on Bay-Delta fish to eat, but the region has popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/pubs/report/R_612JMR.pdf\">sport fisheries for striped bass, catfish and other fish\u003c/a>. About 377,000 anglers from the Bay Area and Delta region are licensed to fish in California, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90% of people surveyed in low-income communities of color in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region reported that they eat locally caught fish \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Delta-Conveyance/Public-Information/DCP_EJ-Survey-Report-5-28-2021_Final_508.pdf\">four or more days per week\u003c/a>. “This suggests that subsistence fishing plays a central role in (their) lives,” the 2021 report produced for the California Department of Water Resources says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008482\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008482\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a gray shirt casts a fishing line out from the pole she is holding into a body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-07-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angler Allison Kerlegan fishes on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists say in addition to the Delta fish declines caused by diversions, people of color are disproportionally harmed by contamination of the fish they eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Poisons have been polluting the Bay-Delta and its fish for generations. Mercury from gold mining nearly 200 years ago contaminates the sediments. \u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">Industrial chemicals, past and present, linger \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayreport2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltareport2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltareport2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">waterways\u003c/a>.\u003c/span> And a confluence of stagnation, \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359085171_Warming_in_the_upper_San_Francisco_Estuary_Patterns_of_water_temperature_change_from_five_decades_of_data\">warming waters\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/pubs/report/R_612JMR.pdf\">discharges from farms and cities\u003c/a> foster \u003ca href=\"https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/pdf/science-program/information-sheets/2022-10-21-draft-delta-harmful-algal-bloom-monitoring-strategy.pdf\">stinking, sometimes toxic algal blooms\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>African American, Lao and Vietnamese anglers who fish in the Delta ingest excessive amounts of mercury, much higher than the U.S. EPA recommends, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/california_waterfix/exhibits/docs/RestoretheDelta/RTD_231.pdf\">according to a 2010 UC Davis study.\u003c/a> Southeast Asians ate the most locally caught fish, followed by African American and Hispanic anglers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A whole generation of subsistence fishing families have already been exposed to harmful amounts of mercury and other poisons,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ecologylawquarterly.org/currents/currents36-08-shilling-2009-0724/\">wrote\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/people/fraser-shilling\">Fraser Shilling\u003c/a>, the study’s co-author who now directs the UC Davis’ Road Ecology Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cintia Cortez, policy manager of Stockton-based Restore the Delta, said the Bay-Delta’s deterioration disconnects residents from the rivers and streams in their communities. “It’s their birthright to have access to safe waterways,” Cortez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Native tribes find their efforts to reconnect with the waterways they once called home \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/mercury/docs/tribes_%20fish_use.pdf\">thwarted by the plummeting populations of native fish and the noxious algae blooms.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tribes like us are trying to get back to those spaces, but how can we, when the state of the river is not healthy?” said Malissa Tayaba, \u003ca href=\"https://www.shinglespringsrancheria.com/government/tribal-council/\">vice chair of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians\u003c/a>, one of the tribes that brought the complaint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups want the two regional water quality boards responsible for the Bay-Delta to \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb9/water_issues/programs/basin_plan/docs/update082812/Chpt_2_2012.pdf\">officially recognize\u003c/a> subsistence and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-02/winter-rtoc-2022-presentation-tribal-beneficial-uses-water-boards.pdf\">tribal fishing and cultural uses\u003c/a> of its waterways, a step toward setting targets that protect people who use them. The Bay Area water board said it plans to propose designating tribal cultural uses in the next year and then tribal and other subsistence fishing within five years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process has already dragged on too long, said Sherri Norris, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cieaweb.org/about-us/\">California Indian Environmental Alliance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s at stake is neurological learning disabilities, …not being able to teach culture to future generations and not being able to eat traditional foods,” Norris said. “We’re trying to protect our lives and our health.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But cleaning the waterways enough for people to rely on them for food “could be well past any of our lifetimes, to allow natural processes to cover up the sins that we did during the Gold Rush,” said Patrick Pulupa, executive officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, which manages Delta water quality issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008486\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008486\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg\" alt='A sign with illustrations of fish and a truck with graffiti with text that reads \"A Guide to Eating Fish From San Francisco Bay.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-026-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A warning sign regarding fish consumption is posted at the start of Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. Striped bass were the prevalent species reeled in by nearby fishermen at the end of the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17459365/\">many are unaware of the risks\u003c/a> despite state efforts and warnings. An easy-to-miss sign on San Francisco’s Pier 7 warns which fish are unsafe to eat, which are safe and in what quantities. But the sign is only posted in English, which only two of the roughly 12 anglers on the end of the pier that day said they could speak. Those who need translations must call a number on the sign or use a QR code to find them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008487\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008487\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a fishing hat and red jacket holds a fishing pole over the side of a piece with a city in the background.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-30-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman Milan Gurung tries his luck from Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. Striped bass were the prevalent species reeled in from the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lee has seen the warning, and doesn’t eat \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/update/sharks-san-francisco-bay/\">leopard shark\u003c/a> because it’s \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayposter2023english.pdf\">highly contaminated with mercury\u003c/a>. Otherwise, he’s not concerned — he thinks the tides keep the bay clean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008484\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008484\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg\" alt=\"Three men and a woman wearing fishing hats and dark clothing stand on a pier with one man walking away while holding a fish.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/062124-Pier-7-Fishing-LE-CM-13-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fisher hauls a striped bass landed out of the bay from Pier 7 in San Francisco on June 21, 2024. The catch was one of numerous striped bass that landed and was kept for consumption from the pier. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The truth, though, is that even the tides can’t wash away the poisons tainting the Delta or the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘That’s why they call it the dirty Delta’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The vast watershed, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems, stretches \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/hearings/byron_bethany/docs/exhibits/wsid_cdwa_sdwa/wsid0103.pdf\">from around Fresno to beyond the Oregon border\u003c/a>. The rivers come together at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/sacramento-san-joaquin-delta\">Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta\u003c/a> and flow out to the Pacific through the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For two centuries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaymercury/final_legacy_pollution.pdf\">cities, mining, agriculture and industry\u003c/a> have flushed the waterways with their waste, even as \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-18-473.pdf\">they’ve sapped freshwater flows. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why they call it the dirty Delta,” said Jacob Weber as he fished at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/antioch-oakley\">Antioch/Oakley pier\u003c/a> on the San Joaquin River one morning. Even on a clear, bright day, the sun couldn’t penetrate the murky waters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ll get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, let’s go out to the Delta,’” said Weber, an Oakley resident who fishes mostly for fun but will sometimes eat fish caught farther out toward the bay. “Y’all go on your boat, but I’m not swimming in that nasty-ass water.” As for the fish, he said, “It’d be nice if they weren’t so nasty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mercury, which is responsible for the \u003ca href=\"https://waterboards.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7c8734c24be34287a8bfab0c91ebdeb4\">majority of California’s warnings\u003c/a> to limit eating fish from across the state, is among a cocktail of contaminants in the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayreport2023.pdf\">bay\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltareport2022.pdf\">and\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltareport2022.pdf\">Delta\u003c/a>. The heavy metal is especially dangerous for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health#:~:text=Foetuses%20are%20most%20susceptible%20to,methylmercury%20is%20impaired%20neurological%20development\">developing brains of unborn babies\u003c/a> and children, contributing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp46-c1.pdf\">birth differences\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/reports/global_warming/ctamercury0205pdf.pdf\">developmental delays, and vision, hearing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26109549/\">and learning difficulties\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the Gold Rush, forty-niners \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs06100/pdf/fs06100.pdf\">mined mercury from the Coast Ranges\u003c/a> and used it to extract gold scoured from the Sierra Nevada. \u003ca href=\"https://antr.assembly.ca.gov/sites/antr.assembly.ca.gov/files/hearings/Background%20paper032414.pdf\">Millions of pounds\u003c/a> leached into the environment, flowing into creeks and rivers that empty into the Delta and Bay, where it has poisoned sediments and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-07/documents/12-sf-bay-mercury-tmdl-implementation-report-2015-06-15.pdf\">built up\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-07/documents/14-sac-sjr-mercury-tmdl-implementation-report-2015-06-15.pdf\">in fish\u003c/a> ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy industry brought \u003ca href=\"https://waterboards.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7c8734c24be34287a8bfab0c91ebdeb4\">the state’s second-greatest contaminant of concern\u003c/a>: polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Used in \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaypcbs/pcbs_tmdl_facts0627.PDF\">electric transformers and an array of products\u003c/a>, PCBs increase cancer risk and can harm the growth and brain development of unborn babies and children. Although their manufacture was banned in 1979, the chemicals persist in sediment and fish tissues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/projects/pbdes-san-francisco-bay-summary-report\">Flame retardants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/project/Session%204_Talk%2001_Davis.pdf\">forever chemicals\u003c/a> known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also are found in \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/biblio_files/2019%20Sport%20Fish%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf\">San Francisco Bay\u003c/a> and Delta fish\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the contamination, California’s environmental health agency warns children, teens and people who could become pregnant to completely avoid eating popular sport fish such as striped bass and sturgeon caught in \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysfbayposter2023english.pdf\">the bay\u003c/a> and in the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorysacramentorvndeltaposter2022english.pdf\">Northern\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/fishadvisorycentralsouthdeltaposter2022english.pdf\">Central and South Delta\u003c/a>. Men should only eat one hand-sized serving of these fish a week. For areas near the \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/advisories/port-stockton\">Port of Stockton\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/fish/advisories/lauritzen-channel\">a Superfund site in Richmond\u003c/a>, the waters are so polluted that no one is supposed to eat anything they catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People are wary of eating Delta fish, which cuts off a free source of food, \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Delta-Conveyance/Public-Information/DCP_EJ-Survey-Report-5-28-2021_Final_508.pdf\">according to a state survey of the region’s disadvantaged communities.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fishing has extremely deteriorated over the last 20 years, and we are now leery to eat the fish that we catch,” said one person who answered the survey. “We used to eat the fish we caught. I don’t trust the water quality anymore, but the nostalgia … is still very important to me,” another said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008483\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008483\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a cap backwards and a grey and red shirt with white designs hold to fishing rods underneath an overpass.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-18-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisherman David Thao angles for striped bass on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Down the pier from Weber, Derrick Hines was hoping to catch a striped bass. He fishes four days a week — mostly for fun but also to bring home fresh fish for his family, including his children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hines said he’s talked to some fishermen who’ve “been eating it for 30 years, and they never had a problem,” he said. On the other hand, “I get people here who know people who’ve gotten sick from this type of fish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his family eat what he catches only about once or twice a month, he said. “What can we do about it? This is the water that we fish in,” Hines said. “I’m pretty sure all types of fish have some type of contaminants in it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups worry that, under current water quality targets\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>the Bay-Delta will never be cleaned up enough to protect the people who rely on it regularly for food or cultural activities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The cleanup goals, even if they were going to take 100 years or 120 years, were not necessarily going to get us down to the levels that would protect these most vulnerable people,” said \u003ca href=\"https://cleanwater.org/about/people/andria-ventura\">Andria Ventura\u003c/a>, legislative and policy director for the nonprofit advocacy group Clean Water Action. \u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>What do we do about … the people bringing home fish because they want to feed their family?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, about \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafoodbanks.org/food-insecurity-data/\">one in four households struggles with food insecurity\u003c/a>, according to Northwestern University research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cieaweb.org/staff/\">Norris\u003c/a>, of the California Indian Environmental Alliance, said the region’s water regulators \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/tmdl/central_valley_projects/delta_hg/dmcp_staffrpt_spr.pdf\">have been dragging their feet\u003c/a>. “It feels like they’re just hoping that tribes and communities will just give up,” Norris said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The regulators “view fishing as a recreational choice, and not as a necessity,” UC Davis’ Shilling said. “People who are subsistence fishing, this is part of their shopping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfei.org/sites/default/files/project/Final%20Report%20on%20Questionnaire%20Development%20ADA%20Compliant%20SFEI%20Website.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans to conduct a survey to better understand which fish people are eating and in what amounts \u003c/a>to gauge whether they need more stringent protection.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But officials say there is only so much they’ll be able to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The uncomfortable truth is we have to look at the laws that we have available…and many of those laws would not allow us to turn the clock back to pre-Gold Rush times,” said Pulupa of the Central Valley water quality agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Blooms of neon green algae\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On a Saturday morning in June, Andy Ramirez was the only person fishing from a walkway around downtown Stockton’s McLeod Lake, an offshoot of the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel portion of the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was hoping to snag some striped bass before the lake becomes unfishable when temperatures climb and fluorescent green algae creeps across it. \u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/where/freshwater_events.html\">The lake was spared the last two summers.\u003c/a> But many summers, he said, “I drive over the freeway, and you can see it,” Ramirez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He can smell it, too. “It makes me sad,” said Ramirez, a Stockton resident who fished McLeod Lake as a child. “I think our city should take better care of the water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harmful algal blooms — many of them fed by fertilizers from farm fields and urban runoff, fueled by warming temperatures and nurtured in stagnant waters — are \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dz769db\">on the rise globally \u003c/a>and in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479723023940#bib33\">Bay-Delta\u003c/a>. Back-to-back \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/HAB_FAQ.html\">red tides\u003c/a> killed \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/emergency-white-sturgeon-harvest-regulations-now-in-effect\">tens of thousands of fish\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/06/white-sturgeon-gains-california-protection-species/\">including sturgeon\u003c/a>, for two summers in a row in San Francisco and San Pablo bays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inland, blooms of microorganisms known as cyanobacteria regularly turn parts of the rivers a stinking, neon green in summer. These blooms also \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/harmful-algal-blooms/hcp/clinical-signs/symptoms-freshwater-harmful-algal-blooms.html\">sometimes produce toxins\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/habs/what-are-effects-habs\">can make people sick\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/ecotoxicology/document/microcystin031209.pdf\">kill dogs and other animals\u003c/a>, and can be so noxious that they drive people away from areas they once fished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jesse Zeigler, who reeled in a striped bass from the Antioch/Oakley pier, said he stopped fishing in Stockton five or six years ago because of the algae. “It was horrible,” he said. “I didn’t want to have my hands all over it. Rub your eyes or your nose, and then you’ve got another issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same fish also contain mercury and other contaminants, so state officials warn anglers to limit their consumption and \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/advisories/portofstocktonposter.pdf\">not eat anything\u003c/a> they catch near the Port of Stockton and in Smith Canal, including McLeod Lake, where Ramirez was fishing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008478\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008478\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\" alt=\"A tackle box with fishing gear in each space.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An angler’s tackle box with fishing gear on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Rio Vista on May 29, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Laura Twardochleb, an environmental program manager with the State Water Resources Control Board, said the algae tend to flourish in hotspots with slow-moving water and low circulation, but it’s difficult to tell how important water flows are relative to other factors like nutrients or temperature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008479\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008479\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg\" alt='Yellow, red and green signs on a board showing different fishes with messages such as \"Eat Less\" and \"Do Not Eat.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/052924_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-06-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Warning signs alert anglers to the dangers of fish consumption at the Antioch Fishing Pier at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Rio Vista on May 29, 2024. The Delta is a fishing hotspot for numerous species of gamefish. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As California water regulators \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">weigh new plans for managing the Bay-Delta\u003c/a>, community groups and tribes have sounded the alarm \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/docs/2023/staff-report/app-g1.pdf\">about a $2.9 billion pact\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/Initiatives/Voluntary-Agreements-Page/VA-FAQ\">Newsom administration reached in March 2022 with water suppliers\u003c/a> over operations in the region.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_12002229,science_1993633,science_1983938","label":"Related Stories "},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the deal would allow major \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/NewsRoom/email-items/VoluntaryAgreementMOUTermSheet20220329_SIGNED-20220811.pdf\">urban water providers and agricultural irrigation districts\u003c/a> to take more water from the Delta \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2023/09/california-delta-bay-plan/\">than another regulatory proposal\u003c/a> would permit, but would also support improving habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tribes and environmental justice groups fear the deal, along with \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/05/delta-tunnel-new-price-tag/\">a Newsom-backed, $20 billion proposal to replumb the Delta with a tunnel\u003c/a> to send more water south will worsen the stagnation and algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cortez of Restore the Delta remembers covering her mouth and nose with her shirt because of the stench wafting off a green McLeod lake when she went to high school nearby. “Clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water — when you look at our downtown, that’s not what you see,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The Delta is our original home’: A threat to tribal way of life\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For California’s Delta tribes, harmful algal blooms, dried-up streams and plummeting fish populations are threatening their painstakingly revived cultures. Before Euro-American contact, Malissa Tayaba’s ancestors were fishing people whose homelands spanned seven Northern California counties, the Sacramento River and key tributaries in the Delta watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.shinglespringsrancheria.com/government/tribal-council/\">Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians\u003c/a> is located far from the rivers they once called home, dispossessed and displaced onto a landlocked rancheria in El Dorado County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being taken from our homes really hurt us — our whole way of life is different,” said Tayaba, vice chair of the tribal council. “The Delta is our original home. It is where we come from … Whatever happens to the Delta is going to happen to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, Tayaba said, the tribe purchased land where the Feather River meets the Sacramento. But even with this reconnection to the water, noxious algae and filth have forced the tribe to cancel ceremonies and events at sites along the river.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008481\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008481\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/060124_Delta-Fishers_LE_CM-03.jpg\" alt=\"Three people sitting on a fishing boat in the middle of a body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anglers begin a morning of fishing on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton on June 1, 2024. \u003ccite>(Loren Elliott/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Polluted waters give members pause about processing riverside plants for basketry the traditional way, using their hands and mouths. Once-abundant salmon that the tribe historically relied on have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/03/california-salmon-restrictions-ban-2024/\">declined so much\u003c/a> that commercial and recreational fishing have been canceled \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/ocean-recreational-and-in-river-salmon-sport-fisheries-in-california-closed-for-second-consecutive-season#:~:text=2022%2D2024%20News%20Releases&text=The%20California%20Fish%20and%20Game,Trinity%20rivers%20and%20their%20tributaries.\">in inland rivers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/04/california-salmon-fishing-banned-again/\">off California’s coast\u003c/a> for two years in a row.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a blow to tribes across California that \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/mercury/docs/tribes_%20fish_use.pdf\">rely heavily on salmon\u003c/a> and say that historically, members often ate locally caught fish at least daily. More now report that they eat fish they catch once a week or less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://bvtribe.com/tribal-historic-preservation.php\">Jesse Galvan,\u003c/a> a member of the California Valley Miwok tribe, works as the Tribal Historic Preservation Office coordinator for the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galvan said he spent many years fishing throughout the Delta with his grandfather, whom he called Papa and who died this summer. But he, too, is wary about eating what he catches, especially in more urbanized areas like Stockton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The water is just horrible. It looks really bad, it looks really murky. It’s not good quality water. You just think about that before you want to eat that fish,” Galvan said. “It’s a sad thing. I remember when I was a kid, we would eat a bunch of fish out of the Delta. Now, not as much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he said, he tries to fish as much as he can — even if it’s just catch-and-release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the wars on water, you’ve got to cherish it as long as we’ve got it,” he said. “I don’t know when the government is going to tell me ‘hey you just can’t fish no more’ … All those memories I have with my grandfather, my Papa, will be gone. They’ll just be memories.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12008422/the-bay-delta-watershed-is-in-crisis-is-the-state-discriminating-against-people-who-fish-there","authors":["byline_news_12008422"],"categories":["news_8"],"tags":["news_18008"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12008485","label":"news_18481"},"news_12008246":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12008246","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12008246","score":null,"sort":[1728327647000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"i-would-have-been-a-great-mom-california-finally-pays-reparations-to-woman-it-sterilized","title":"‘I Would Have Been a Great Mom’: California Finally Pays Reparations to Woman It Sterilized","publishDate":1728327647,"format":"standard","headTitle":"‘I Would Have Been a Great Mom’: California Finally Pays Reparations to Woman It Sterilized | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>Geynna Buffington knew she had little time to become pregnant once she was released from prison at age 40. For over a year, she tried to have a baby. She didn’t know pregnancy would be unlikely because of a procedure she had nearly a decade earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1998, while Buffington was incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, she underwent an “endometrial ablation” in order to treat what a prison doctor had told her was an abnormal pap smear. The procedure destroys the uterine lining and should not be done for people who have any desire for future childbearing, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Buffington was not told how the procedure would affect her fertility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is so humanly low for someone to make the decision that I don’t deserve to have children because I’m incarcerated,” said Buffington, 58. “I would have been a great mom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buffington this month finally received the recognition that the state robbed her of her reproductive freedom. Securing that acknowledgment came only after a long court battle to make her eligible for California’s historic reparations program for people who were forcibly sterilized while in state prisons, state-run hospitals and homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her case could have wide-ranging implications for other people who were sterilized by the state and whose applications for the 2021 reparations program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965926/survivors-of-californias-forced-sterilization-denied-reparations\">were rejected\u003c/a> by the \u003ca href=\"https://victims.ca.gov/for-victims/fiscp/\">California Victim Compensation Board\u003c/a> on technicalities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board four times denied Buffington’s applications for a $35,000 reparations payment, writing that ablations don’t qualify as sterilizations under the law because the procedure “was performed to treat her underlying medical condition” and “does not eliminate fertility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That all changed when an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled earlier this year that the compensation board wrongfully denied her reparations, stating that “informed consent is a linchpin of the statute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008251\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008251\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg\" alt=\"A closeup of a Black woman wearing a sleeveless black shirt.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geynna Buffington in Long Beach on July 17, 2024. \u003ccite>( Zaydee Sanchez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In another signal that the program hasn’t lived up to its promise, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30 signed a law that gives survivors who were previously denied until Jan. 1 to file an \u003ca href=\"https://victims.ca.gov/for-victims/fiscp/\">appeal\u003c/a>. The compensation board has an additional 15 months to consider those appeals and process applications. The program, which was slated to conclude last month, will now end in January 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The compensation board is a state agency that collects restitution and works to compensate victims of crime. It’s overseen by three members: State Controller Malia Cohen; Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton; and a representative from Newsom’s cabinet, Government Operations Secretary Amy Tong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency told CalMatters via an email that its executive officer, Lynda Gledhill, “is unable to give an interview regarding this particular matter as it is pending litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email also noted that the agency was “sending letters to all claimants who had documentation available and received denials informing them of their ability to request an additional review of their denial.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Thousands forcibly sterilized in California institutions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting in the early 1900s, more than 20,000 people — disproportionately poor women, people of color and people with disabilities — \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/us/california-reparations-eugenics.html\">were involuntarily sterilized\u003c/a> in state-run homes and hospitals under California’s eugenics laws. Those laws were repealed in 1979, but the practice continued. A 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://information.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf\">state audit\u003c/a> found that at least 794 people in state prisons underwent various medical procedures that “could have resulted in sterilization” between 2005 and 2013.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent wave of sterilizations was connected to James Heinrich, a doctor who worked at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. According to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heinrich_Historical-RFS-Forms_OCT-3.pdf\">state prison medical records obtained by KQED\u003c/a>, Heinrich ordered at least 80 ablations between 2006 and 2012. He did not perform the procedure on Buffington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, The Center for Investigative Reporting, which first reported the sterilizations, \u003ca href=\"https://revealnews.org/article/female-inmates-sterilized-in-california-prisons-without-approval/\">quoted him saying \u003c/a>that the state wasn’t paying doctors a significant amount of money for the sterilizations “compared to what you save in welfare paying for these unwanted children — as they procreated more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government agency that oversees prison health care, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2014-sterilization-memo.pdf\">in a 2014 memo obtained by CalMatters\u003c/a> through the California Public Records Act, acknowledged that ablations and dozens of other procedures had “the potential for sterilization or diminished capacity for future conception.” Those procedures, the memo stated, must go through a heightened level of review “effective immediately.” It was sent to top prison health care officials just three months before the state concluded its \u003ca href=\"https://information.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf\">audit on forced sterilization\u003c/a> in California prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They knew we were coming,” said Hannah-Beth Jackson, the former state senator who requested the state audit. “I think that memo was clearly in response to either what they knew was going on or what they needed to do in order to assure that they were covering their rear ends and make sure the doctors and providers understood that, indeed, consent was required in advance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California in 2021 passed a reparations law carried by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo to “acknowledge the wrongful sterilization of thousands of vulnerable people,” according to the legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, more than 75% of applicants were denied reparations, according to the compensation board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the applicants who volunteered their demographic information, the majority self-identified as Black or African American. The compensation board approved payments to just 118 applicants as of Oct. 4. KQED and UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965926/survivors-of-californias-forced-sterilization-denied-reparations\">previously spoke\u003c/a> with six people who had ablations and whose applications were denied by the compensation board. At least four of the ablations were ordered by Heinrich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat, acknowledged the rejections and delays during a hearing in August. “For all of the survivors and individuals that still have a pending case: know that you are heard, you are seen, the compensation board cares about what happened to you at a state institution where you have been denied the opportunity to be a parent, to be a mother — that should have been your choice … the compensation board is doing everything it possibly can to ensure that you have an answer to your appeal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Sterilization is unambiguous’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg\" alt='A woman wearing black clothing and holding a microphone in front of a podium that says \"California Runs on Child Care.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Wendy Carillo speaks to the crowd gathered for the Child Care Providers United Rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 15, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie A Hotz/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the compensation board’s fourth denial of Buffington’s application for reparations, her attorneys, WookSun Hong and John Moore, filed a petition in Alameda County Superior Court arguing that the board’s decision was not based on the law or science. She is one of four survivors who have sued the compensation board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Included in Buffington’s petition was a declaration from Cynthia Chandler, an attorney who helped draft the law and who now works for Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We collectively and deliberately chose NOT to define or limit the methods of sterilization under which survivors could qualify for compensation as we appreciated that there are many different methods by which reproductive capacity can be destroyed, and we did not want to inadvertently exclude a qualifying class from recovery under the compensation program,” wrote Chandler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Michael Markman ruled on June 25 that the compensation board abused its discretion and interpreted the reparations law too narrowly. He found that an endometrial ablation meets the requirement for compensation because there was no evidence that Buffington gave her informed consent prior to undergoing the procedure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Markman wrote that the online medical source the compensation board relied on to support its justification for Buffington’s denials did “not suggest that fertility is maintained after the procedure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He ordered the compensation board to reconsider Buffington’s application “without mistakes of law.” Roughly two months later, the compensation board approved her application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The court determined that ‘sterilization’ is unambiguous and is the permanent inability to reproduce,” the compensation board wrote in its decision to release the money. “The court sided with Geynna B. and determined that all procedures that result in sterilization are barred where there is lack of informed consent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week — four months after the Alameda court ruling in her favor — she received her payment.[aside postID=\"news_11965672,news_11965926,news_11982828\" label=\"Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt like some justice was being done — that I was being seen,” Buffington said. “That was a terrible thing that happened to us. And it doesn’t deserve to be overlooked.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for the survivors commended the court decision and said it’s a first step to opening the door for relief for others who were denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This ruling indicates the need for wide-sweeping justice that was not met,” Chandler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will the board release reparations to others?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Today, Buffington works as a certified peer support specialist for people in recovery and an assistant director at Footprints Around the World Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves homeless and low-income families in Los Angeles. She plans to put away the money she received in reparations for her retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is one of the cases where an underprivileged person who doesn’t have anything was prejudiced and treated like a number and then set aside,” said Hong, one of her attorneys. “To me, it’s significant that a government agency acknowledged their mistake, but it’s also sad that it took a court order to rectify their mistake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chandler said she’s glad the court put “a monkey wrench” in the compensation board’s process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were hellbent on denying this claim, I believe because they know they have failed an entire class of people,” she said. “I hope that this ruling provides some level of precedent to force the compensation board to be accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The compensation board has not said how it plans to apply the court order to other survivors who were wrongfully denied reparations. Without a new policy in place, advocates have expressed concern that survivors could continue to face barriers to receiving compensation, including time, money and legal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m anxious to know what this means for the hundreds of other survivors who were denied because the state said that the procedure they had was not sterilizing,” said Jennifer James, an associate professor of sociology at UC San Francisco and member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners who has assisted survivors with their applications. “I hope that the compensation board will proactively change their decisions and award them compensation so that they don’t have to seek legal support.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Cayla Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow. She began this reporting with KQED and the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"California, over decades, sterilized thousands of people in state prisons, state-run homes and hospitals. Lawmakers created a reparations program for them, but it has denied most applications.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1728397069,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":41,"wordCount":1876},"headData":{"title":"‘I Would Have Been a Great Mom’: California Finally Pays Reparations to Woman It Sterilized | KQED","description":"California, over decades, sterilized thousands of people in state prisons, state-run homes and hospitals. Lawmakers created a reparations program for them, but it has denied most applications.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"‘I Would Have Been a Great Mom’: California Finally Pays Reparations to Woman It Sterilized","datePublished":"2024-10-07T12:00:47-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-08T07:17:49-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/cayla-mihalovich\">Cayla Mihalovich,\u003c/a> CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12008246","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12008246/i-would-have-been-a-great-mom-california-finally-pays-reparations-to-woman-it-sterilized","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Geynna Buffington knew she had little time to become pregnant once she was released from prison at age 40. For over a year, she tried to have a baby. She didn’t know pregnancy would be unlikely because of a procedure she had nearly a decade earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1998, while Buffington was incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, she underwent an “endometrial ablation” in order to treat what a prison doctor had told her was an abnormal pap smear. The procedure destroys the uterine lining and should not be done for people who have any desire for future childbearing, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Buffington was not told how the procedure would affect her fertility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is so humanly low for someone to make the decision that I don’t deserve to have children because I’m incarcerated,” said Buffington, 58. “I would have been a great mom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buffington this month finally received the recognition that the state robbed her of her reproductive freedom. Securing that acknowledgment came only after a long court battle to make her eligible for California’s historic reparations program for people who were forcibly sterilized while in state prisons, state-run hospitals and homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her case could have wide-ranging implications for other people who were sterilized by the state and whose applications for the 2021 reparations program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965926/survivors-of-californias-forced-sterilization-denied-reparations\">were rejected\u003c/a> by the \u003ca href=\"https://victims.ca.gov/for-victims/fiscp/\">California Victim Compensation Board\u003c/a> on technicalities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board four times denied Buffington’s applications for a $35,000 reparations payment, writing that ablations don’t qualify as sterilizations under the law because the procedure “was performed to treat her underlying medical condition” and “does not eliminate fertility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That all changed when an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled earlier this year that the compensation board wrongfully denied her reparations, stating that “informed consent is a linchpin of the statute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008251\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008251\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg\" alt=\"A closeup of a Black woman wearing a sleeveless black shirt.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/071724-Geynna-Buffington-ZS-CM-108-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geynna Buffington in Long Beach on July 17, 2024. \u003ccite>( Zaydee Sanchez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In another signal that the program hasn’t lived up to its promise, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30 signed a law that gives survivors who were previously denied until Jan. 1 to file an \u003ca href=\"https://victims.ca.gov/for-victims/fiscp/\">appeal\u003c/a>. The compensation board has an additional 15 months to consider those appeals and process applications. The program, which was slated to conclude last month, will now end in January 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The compensation board is a state agency that collects restitution and works to compensate victims of crime. It’s overseen by three members: State Controller Malia Cohen; Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton; and a representative from Newsom’s cabinet, Government Operations Secretary Amy Tong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency told CalMatters via an email that its executive officer, Lynda Gledhill, “is unable to give an interview regarding this particular matter as it is pending litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The email also noted that the agency was “sending letters to all claimants who had documentation available and received denials informing them of their ability to request an additional review of their denial.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Thousands forcibly sterilized in California institutions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting in the early 1900s, more than 20,000 people — disproportionately poor women, people of color and people with disabilities — \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/us/california-reparations-eugenics.html\">were involuntarily sterilized\u003c/a> in state-run homes and hospitals under California’s eugenics laws. Those laws were repealed in 1979, but the practice continued. A 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://information.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf\">state audit\u003c/a> found that at least 794 people in state prisons underwent various medical procedures that “could have resulted in sterilization” between 2005 and 2013.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent wave of sterilizations was connected to James Heinrich, a doctor who worked at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. According to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heinrich_Historical-RFS-Forms_OCT-3.pdf\">state prison medical records obtained by KQED\u003c/a>, Heinrich ordered at least 80 ablations between 2006 and 2012. He did not perform the procedure on Buffington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, The Center for Investigative Reporting, which first reported the sterilizations, \u003ca href=\"https://revealnews.org/article/female-inmates-sterilized-in-california-prisons-without-approval/\">quoted him saying \u003c/a>that the state wasn’t paying doctors a significant amount of money for the sterilizations “compared to what you save in welfare paying for these unwanted children — as they procreated more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government agency that oversees prison health care, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2014-sterilization-memo.pdf\">in a 2014 memo obtained by CalMatters\u003c/a> through the California Public Records Act, acknowledged that ablations and dozens of other procedures had “the potential for sterilization or diminished capacity for future conception.” Those procedures, the memo stated, must go through a heightened level of review “effective immediately.” It was sent to top prison health care officials just three months before the state concluded its \u003ca href=\"https://information.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf\">audit on forced sterilization\u003c/a> in California prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They knew we were coming,” said Hannah-Beth Jackson, the former state senator who requested the state audit. “I think that memo was clearly in response to either what they knew was going on or what they needed to do in order to assure that they were covering their rear ends and make sure the doctors and providers understood that, indeed, consent was required in advance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California in 2021 passed a reparations law carried by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo to “acknowledge the wrongful sterilization of thousands of vulnerable people,” according to the legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, more than 75% of applicants were denied reparations, according to the compensation board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the applicants who volunteered their demographic information, the majority self-identified as Black or African American. The compensation board approved payments to just 118 applicants as of Oct. 4. KQED and UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965926/survivors-of-californias-forced-sterilization-denied-reparations\">previously spoke\u003c/a> with six people who had ablations and whose applications were denied by the compensation board. At least four of the ablations were ordered by Heinrich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat, acknowledged the rejections and delays during a hearing in August. “For all of the survivors and individuals that still have a pending case: know that you are heard, you are seen, the compensation board cares about what happened to you at a state institution where you have been denied the opportunity to be a parent, to be a mother — that should have been your choice … the compensation board is doing everything it possibly can to ensure that you have an answer to your appeal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Sterilization is unambiguous’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12008247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg\" alt='A woman wearing black clothing and holding a microphone in front of a podium that says \"California Runs on Child Care.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/061523-Child-Care-Rally-JAH-CM-33-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assemblymember Wendy Carillo speaks to the crowd gathered for the Child Care Providers United Rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 15, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie A Hotz/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the compensation board’s fourth denial of Buffington’s application for reparations, her attorneys, WookSun Hong and John Moore, filed a petition in Alameda County Superior Court arguing that the board’s decision was not based on the law or science. She is one of four survivors who have sued the compensation board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Included in Buffington’s petition was a declaration from Cynthia Chandler, an attorney who helped draft the law and who now works for Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We collectively and deliberately chose NOT to define or limit the methods of sterilization under which survivors could qualify for compensation as we appreciated that there are many different methods by which reproductive capacity can be destroyed, and we did not want to inadvertently exclude a qualifying class from recovery under the compensation program,” wrote Chandler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Michael Markman ruled on June 25 that the compensation board abused its discretion and interpreted the reparations law too narrowly. He found that an endometrial ablation meets the requirement for compensation because there was no evidence that Buffington gave her informed consent prior to undergoing the procedure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Markman wrote that the online medical source the compensation board relied on to support its justification for Buffington’s denials did “not suggest that fertility is maintained after the procedure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He ordered the compensation board to reconsider Buffington’s application “without mistakes of law.” Roughly two months later, the compensation board approved her application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The court determined that ‘sterilization’ is unambiguous and is the permanent inability to reproduce,” the compensation board wrote in its decision to release the money. “The court sided with Geynna B. and determined that all procedures that result in sterilization are barred where there is lack of informed consent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week — four months after the Alameda court ruling in her favor — she received her payment.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_11965672,news_11965926,news_11982828","label":"Related Stories "},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt like some justice was being done — that I was being seen,” Buffington said. “That was a terrible thing that happened to us. And it doesn’t deserve to be overlooked.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for the survivors commended the court decision and said it’s a first step to opening the door for relief for others who were denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This ruling indicates the need for wide-sweeping justice that was not met,” Chandler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Will the board release reparations to others?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Today, Buffington works as a certified peer support specialist for people in recovery and an assistant director at Footprints Around the World Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves homeless and low-income families in Los Angeles. She plans to put away the money she received in reparations for her retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is one of the cases where an underprivileged person who doesn’t have anything was prejudiced and treated like a number and then set aside,” said Hong, one of her attorneys. “To me, it’s significant that a government agency acknowledged their mistake, but it’s also sad that it took a court order to rectify their mistake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chandler said she’s glad the court put “a monkey wrench” in the compensation board’s process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were hellbent on denying this claim, I believe because they know they have failed an entire class of people,” she said. “I hope that this ruling provides some level of precedent to force the compensation board to be accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The compensation board has not said how it plans to apply the court order to other survivors who were wrongfully denied reparations. Without a new policy in place, advocates have expressed concern that survivors could continue to face barriers to receiving compensation, including time, money and legal resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m anxious to know what this means for the hundreds of other survivors who were denied because the state said that the procedure they had was not sterilizing,” said Jennifer James, an associate professor of sociology at UC San Francisco and member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners who has assisted survivors with their applications. “I hope that the compensation board will proactively change their decisions and award them compensation so that they don’t have to seek legal support.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Cayla Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow. She began this reporting with KQED and the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12008246/i-would-have-been-a-great-mom-california-finally-pays-reparations-to-woman-it-sterilized","authors":["byline_news_12008246"],"categories":["news_457","news_8"],"tags":["news_30652","news_33935","news_4738","news_21771","news_2923"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12008249","label":"news_18481"},"news_12008143":{"type":"posts","id":"news_12008143","meta":{"index":"posts_1716263798","site":"news","id":"12008143","score":null,"sort":[1728241241000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence","title":"How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence","publishDate":1728241241,"format":"standard","headTitle":"How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":18481,"site":"news"},"content":"\u003cp>After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July, the merchandise started showing up on Facebook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump, fist in the air, face bloodied from a bullet, appeared on everything. Coffee mugs. Hawaiian shirts. Trading cards. Commemorative coins. Heart ornaments. Ads for these products used images captured at the scene by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/14/arts/design/trump-photo-raised-fist.html\">Doug Mills\u003c/a> for the New York Times and \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/trump-assassination-attempt-evan-vucci/679011/\">Evan Vucci\u003c/a> for the Associated Press, showing Trump yelling “fight” after the shooting. The Trump campaign itself even \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=513229838128846\">offered some gear\u003c/a> commemorating his survival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Secret Service drew scrutiny and law enforcement searched for a motive, online advertisers saw a business opportunity in the moment, pumping out Facebook ads to supporters hungry for merch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008148\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008148\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-800x1298.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-800x1298.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-160x260.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup ran a simple search of Meta’s Ad Library and found ads for merchandise related to Trump’s assassination attempt.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the 10 weeks after the shooting, advertisers paid Meta between $593,000 and $813,000 for political ads that explicitly mentioned the assassination attempt, according to The Markup’s analysis. (Meta provides only estimates of spending and reach for ads in its database.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Facebook itself \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/technology/myanmar-facebook.html\">has acknowledged\u003c/a> that polarizing content and misinformation on its platform has incited real-life violence. An analysis by CalMatters and The Markup found that the reverse is also true: real-world violence can sometimes open new revenue opportunities for Meta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the spending on assassination ads represents a sliver of Meta’s $100 billion-plus ad revenue, the company also builds its bottom line when tragedies like war and mass shootings occur, in the United States and beyond. After the October 7th attack on Israel last year and the country’s response in Gaza, Meta saw a major increase in dollars spent related to the conflict, according to our review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tech advocacy groups and others question whether Facebook should even profit from violence and whether its ability to do so violates the company’s own principles of not calling for violence. The company said advertisers often respond to current events and that ads that run on its platform are reviewed and must meet the company’s standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you count all of the political ads mentioning Israel since the attack through the last week of September, organizations and individuals paid Meta between $14.8 million and $22.1 million for ads seen between 1.5 billion and 1.7 billion times on Meta’s platforms. Meta made much less for ads mentioning Israel during the same period the year before: between $2.4 million and $4 million for ads that were seen between 373 million and 445 million times. At the high end of Meta’s estimates, this was a 450% increase in Israel-related ad dollars for the company. (In our analysis, we converted foreign currency purchases to current U.S. dollars.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12008173\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28%E2%80%AFPM-scaled-e1728171034139.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1331\" height=\"844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139.jpg 1331w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-800x507.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-1020x647.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-160x101.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1331px) 100vw, 1331px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a lobbying group that promotes Israel, was the major spender on ads mentioning Israel. In the six months after October 7th, its spending increased more than 300% over the previous six months, to between $1.8 million and $2.7 million, as the organization peppered Facebook and Instagram with ads defending Israel’s actions in Gaza and pressuring politicians to support the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the war has roiled the region, AIPAC paid Meta about as much for ads in the 15 weeks following October 7th as the entire year before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our effort is directed to encouraging pro-Israel Americans to stand with our democratic ally as it battles Iranian proxies in the aftermath of the barbaric Hamas attack of October 7th,” Marshall Wittmann, a spokesperson for AIPAC, said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(See the data on our \u003ca href=\"https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-meta-political-violence-ads\">Github repo\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008154\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-800x1298.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-800x1298.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-160x260.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup ran a simple search of Meta’s Ad Library and found ads for merchandise related to Trump’s assassination attempt.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other ad campaigns mentioning Israel supported different sides of the conflict. Doctors Without Borders, for example, used advertising to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Other ads defended and promoted Israel. The Christian Broadcasting Network tied the October 7th attack to a claim in an ad that Iran’s “final, deadly goal” was “to establish a modern caliphate—an Islamic-founded, tyrannical government—across the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, takes in the vast majority of its revenue \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/10/25/meta-earnings-record-profits-sales-as-ads-stay-robust-during-zuckerbergs-year-of-efficiency/\">from targeted advertising\u003c/a>. The company tracks users online to profile their habits and, when a business or organization wants to reach them, lets those businesses pay to send ads to people who might be interested. Those ads might be tied to something perfectly wholesome, like gardening. But the company’s algorithms don’t distinguish between simple hobbies and something darker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in an emailed statement that Meta did not ultimately profit from political violence, as advertisers broadly back away from advertising during times of strife for fear their ads will be promoted alongside news of the violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clayton noted Meta’s chief financial officer recently said on an earnings call that it is “hard for us to attribute demand softness directly to any specific geopolitical event” but had seen lower ad spending “correlating with the start of the conflict” in the Middle East, and had seen similar at the start of the war in Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Advertisers responding to current events are nothing new, and it’s seen across the media landscape, including on television, radio, and online news outlets,” Clayton said. “All ads that run on our platform must go through a review process and adhere to our advertising and community standards, and Meta offers an extra layer of transparency by making them publicly available in our Ad Library.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalMatters and The Markup used Meta’s own tools to calculate how much Meta makes from spikes in advertising when instances of political violence happen, reviewing thousands of ads through both manual review and with the assistance of \u003ca href=\"https://www.llama.com/\">an AI model\u003c/a> offered by Meta itself. (We also made improvements to Meta Research’s scripts for accessing the Ad Library API, and \u003ca href=\"https://github.com/the-markup/Ad-Library-API-Script-Repository/\">we’re sharing our changes\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To examine the assassination attempt merchandise, we ran a simple search of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/\">Meta’s Ad Library\u003c/a> for ads that mentioned “assassination,” including any in our analysis that also mentioned “Trump” and hundreds of others that didn’t mention the former president by name but were clearly related to the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First they jail him, now they try to end him,” one ad read. A conspiratorial ad for a commemorative two-dollar bill claimed “the assassination attempt was their Plan B,” while “Plan A was to make Biden abandon the presidential campaign.” Some ads used clips from the film JFK to suggest an unseen, malevolent force was at work in the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008157\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-800x1576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-800x1576.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-160x315.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-780x1536.jpg 780w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup found that gun advocates used the presidential assassination attempt to promote products and services on Facebook, including this advertisement for a firearms safety course.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gun advocates paid for ads, using the assassination attempt as a foreboding call to action. One ad promoting a firearms safety course noted that “November is fast approaching.” A clothing business said in an ad that, since “the government can’t save you” from foreign enemies, Americans “need to be self-reliant, self-made, and self-sufficient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because when those bullets zip by, you are clearly on your own,” the ad read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of those ads did not appear to violate Meta’s policies, although some may have broken its \u003ca href=\"https://transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/violence-incitement/\">ban against\u003c/a> showing weapons while alleging “election-related corruption.” But even the ones that didn’t clearly violate Meta’s rules still place the company in an uncomfortable position, as the business takes in advertising dollars from posts tied to grim news cycles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself commented on the first Trump assassination attempt, saying \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-19/mark-zuckerberg-calls-donald-trump-badass-without-endorsing-for-president\">in an interview\u003c/a> that it was “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life.” Trump has now survived a second apparent assassination attempt, and Zuckerberg’s company has made millions of dollars through political advertising tied to these and other violent acts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit advocacy organization, said “it’s not a surprise” that ads around political violence would pop up after incidents “if Meta is not making any effort even on a good day to effectively enforce their policies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s huge problems with their advertising broadly,” she said. “They’re profiting off of a lot of harmful things, really without any sort of repercussions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Trump-fueled business and cash from war\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many businesses paying for the assassination ads sold pro-Trump gear before the shooting — and some might have spent a similar amount on ads if the shooting never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for some, the assassination attempt effectively became an entire business strategy, according to the review of Meta advertising data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clothing company called Red First, which offers everything from customized shirts for pet owners to flags saying “Hillary belongs in prison,” offered assassination-related merchandise through a network of pages with names like 50 Stars Nation and Red White and Blue Zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, which operates in California and Vietnam, according to Meta’s required disclosures, has spent more than $1.8 million since February 2023 to promote ads through its various pages. But in the wake of the shooting, the company pivoted to merchandise around the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008160\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008160\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-800x1571.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-800x1571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-160x314.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-782x1536.jpg 782w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup found that gun advocates used the presidential assassination attempt to promote products and services on Facebook, including this advertisement for a firearms safety course.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Red First’s ads were relatively innocuous compared to some that sprang up after the shooting – they promoted Trump, not the shooting, and not the idea of retaliation for it. One shirt showed an illustration of Trump, middle fingers in the air, and the words “you missed bigly.” The company has also offered Kamala Harris merchandise, recently launching a page dedicated to it as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ads related to the shooting simultaneously sold products, promoted Trump, and let Meta reap advertising cash from the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the thousands of ads posted by the company didn’t explicitly use the word “assassination,” but clearly referenced the event in other ways, using slogans like “he will overcome,” “fight fight fight,” “legends never die,” and “shooting makes me stronger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To suss out which ads were related to the shooting, we reviewed more than 4,200 ads from the company’s different pages with the assistance of a large language model \u003ca href=\"https://www.llama.com/\">named Llama\u003c/a>, a Meta AI model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We programmed the model to evaluate the text of each ad to determine whether it was related to the assassination attempt, then manually reviewed hundreds of its classifications to ensure it was working as expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After our review, we determined that more than 2,600 of those more than 4,200 ads were related to the assassination attempt. The total Red First paid to Meta in the 10 weeks after the shooting for those ads: between $473,000 and $798,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Red First lists a phone number and street address in Southern California, but didn’t respond to phone or email, and the listed address is for a mail-opening service.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The NRA and violent ads around the globe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The advocacy organization the Tech Transparency Project has charted how the National Rifle Association has \u003ca href=\"https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/profiting-from-tragedy\">paid to promote pro-gun views\u003c/a> on Meta and Google’s ad platforms after mass shootings. Despite calls from tech company executives for gun control, those companies profit from NRA spending that spikes after shootings, the group has pointed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla., the NRA increased its spending on Google and Facebook ads, the Tech Transparency Project noted in one report. In 2018, the year of the shooting, Meta received “more than $2 million in advertising fees from the NRA starting in May of that year,” the report found, which also found that “NRA ad spending reached its highest levels on Google and soared on Facebook” following a week of mass shootings the following year that left dozens of people dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/how-facebook-profits-insurrection\">Just days\u003c/a> before the January 6th insurrection, the Tech Transparency Project found that Meta hosted ads offering gun holsters and rifle accessories in far-right Facebook groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Internationally, Meta has often lapsed in its pledge to keep violent content off its platforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta’s ad policies forbid calling for violence. But when faced with crucial tests of its content moderation practices, the company has repeatedly failed to detect and remove inflammatory ads. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/technology/myanmar-facebook.html\">A 2018 report\u003c/a>, commissioned by Facebook itself, found that its platform had been used to incite violence in Myanmar, and that the company hadn’t done enough to prevent it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alia Al Ghussain, a researcher on technology issues at Amnesty International, said that as troubling as some ads might be in English, ads in other languages may be even more likely to pass Meta’s content moderation. “In most of the non-English-speaking world, Facebook doesn’t have the resources that it needs to moderate the content on the platform effectively and safely,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite later admitting responsibility for violence in Myanmar, the company continues to be faulted for gaps in its international moderation work. Another advocacy organization found in a test that the company approved calls for \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/09/facebook-hate-speech-test-fail-meta\">the murder of ethnic groups in Ethiopia\u003c/a>. More recently, a similar test by \u003ca href=\"https://theintercept.com/2023/11/21/facebook-ad-israel-palestine-violence/\">an advocacy organization found\u003c/a> that ads explicitly calling for violence against Palestinians—a flagrant violation of Meta’s rules—were still approved to run by the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If ads which are presenting a risk of stoking tension or spreading misinformation are being approved in the US, in English, it really makes me fearful for what is happening in other countries in non-English-speaking languages,” Al Ghussain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Ads connected to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and Israel’s war in Gaza brought Facebook millions.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1729026959,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":48,"wordCount":2438},"headData":{"title":"How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence | KQED","description":"Ads connected to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and Israel’s war in Gaza brought Facebook millions.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence","datePublished":"2024-10-06T12:00:41-07:00","dateModified":"2024-10-15T14:15:59-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png","isAccessibleForFree":"True","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://www.kqed.org/#organization","name":"KQED","url":"https://www.kqed.org","logo":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}}},"sticky":false,"nprByline":"\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/colin-lecher/\">Colin Lecher\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/author/tomas-apodaca/\">Tomas Apodaca\u003c/a>, CalMatters","nprStoryId":"kqed-12008143","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","showOnAuthorArchivePages":"No","articleAge":"0","path":"/news/12008143/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July, the merchandise started showing up on Facebook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trump, fist in the air, face bloodied from a bullet, appeared on everything. Coffee mugs. Hawaiian shirts. Trading cards. Commemorative coins. Heart ornaments. Ads for these products used images captured at the scene by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/14/arts/design/trump-photo-raised-fist.html\">Doug Mills\u003c/a> for the New York Times and \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/trump-assassination-attempt-evan-vucci/679011/\">Evan Vucci\u003c/a> for the Associated Press, showing Trump yelling “fight” after the shooting. The Trump campaign itself even \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=513229838128846\">offered some gear\u003c/a> commemorating his survival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Secret Service drew scrutiny and law enforcement searched for a motive, online advertisers saw a business opportunity in the moment, pumping out Facebook ads to supporters hungry for merch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008148\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008148\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-800x1298.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-800x1298.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy-160x260.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-1-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup ran a simple search of Meta’s Ad Library and found ads for merchandise related to Trump’s assassination attempt.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the 10 weeks after the shooting, advertisers paid Meta between $593,000 and $813,000 for political ads that explicitly mentioned the assassination attempt, according to The Markup’s analysis. (Meta provides only estimates of spending and reach for ads in its database.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even Facebook itself \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/technology/myanmar-facebook.html\">has acknowledged\u003c/a> that polarizing content and misinformation on its platform has incited real-life violence. An analysis by CalMatters and The Markup found that the reverse is also true: real-world violence can sometimes open new revenue opportunities for Meta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the spending on assassination ads represents a sliver of Meta’s $100 billion-plus ad revenue, the company also builds its bottom line when tragedies like war and mass shootings occur, in the United States and beyond. After the October 7th attack on Israel last year and the country’s response in Gaza, Meta saw a major increase in dollars spent related to the conflict, according to our review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tech advocacy groups and others question whether Facebook should even profit from violence and whether its ability to do so violates the company’s own principles of not calling for violence. The company said advertisers often respond to current events and that ads that run on its platform are reviewed and must meet the company’s standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you count all of the political ads mentioning Israel since the attack through the last week of September, organizations and individuals paid Meta between $14.8 million and $22.1 million for ads seen between 1.5 billion and 1.7 billion times on Meta’s platforms. Meta made much less for ads mentioning Israel during the same period the year before: between $2.4 million and $4 million for ads that were seen between 373 million and 445 million times. At the high end of Meta’s estimates, this was a 450% increase in Israel-related ad dollars for the company. (In our analysis, we converted foreign currency purchases to current U.S. dollars.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12008173\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28%E2%80%AFPM-scaled-e1728171034139.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1331\" height=\"844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139.jpg 1331w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-800x507.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-1020x647.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Image-10-5-24-at-4.28 PM-scaled-e1728171034139-160x101.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1331px) 100vw, 1331px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a lobbying group that promotes Israel, was the major spender on ads mentioning Israel. In the six months after October 7th, its spending increased more than 300% over the previous six months, to between $1.8 million and $2.7 million, as the organization peppered Facebook and Instagram with ads defending Israel’s actions in Gaza and pressuring politicians to support the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the war has roiled the region, AIPAC paid Meta about as much for ads in the 15 weeks following October 7th as the entire year before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our effort is directed to encouraging pro-Israel Americans to stand with our democratic ally as it battles Iranian proxies in the aftermath of the barbaric Hamas attack of October 7th,” Marshall Wittmann, a spokesperson for AIPAC, said in an emailed statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(See the data on our \u003ca href=\"https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-meta-political-violence-ads\">Github repo\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008154\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-800x1298.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-800x1298.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy-160x260.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-2-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup ran a simple search of Meta’s Ad Library and found ads for merchandise related to Trump’s assassination attempt.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other ad campaigns mentioning Israel supported different sides of the conflict. Doctors Without Borders, for example, used advertising to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Other ads defended and promoted Israel. The Christian Broadcasting Network tied the October 7th attack to a claim in an ad that Iran’s “final, deadly goal” was “to establish a modern caliphate—an Islamic-founded, tyrannical government—across the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, takes in the vast majority of its revenue \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/10/25/meta-earnings-record-profits-sales-as-ads-stay-robust-during-zuckerbergs-year-of-efficiency/\">from targeted advertising\u003c/a>. The company tracks users online to profile their habits and, when a business or organization wants to reach them, lets those businesses pay to send ads to people who might be interested. Those ads might be tied to something perfectly wholesome, like gardening. But the company’s algorithms don’t distinguish between simple hobbies and something darker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in an emailed statement that Meta did not ultimately profit from political violence, as advertisers broadly back away from advertising during times of strife for fear their ads will be promoted alongside news of the violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clayton noted Meta’s chief financial officer recently said on an earnings call that it is “hard for us to attribute demand softness directly to any specific geopolitical event” but had seen lower ad spending “correlating with the start of the conflict” in the Middle East, and had seen similar at the start of the war in Ukraine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Advertisers responding to current events are nothing new, and it’s seen across the media landscape, including on television, radio, and online news outlets,” Clayton said. “All ads that run on our platform must go through a review process and adhere to our advertising and community standards, and Meta offers an extra layer of transparency by making them publicly available in our Ad Library.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalMatters and The Markup used Meta’s own tools to calculate how much Meta makes from spikes in advertising when instances of political violence happen, reviewing thousands of ads through both manual review and with the assistance of \u003ca href=\"https://www.llama.com/\">an AI model\u003c/a> offered by Meta itself. (We also made improvements to Meta Research’s scripts for accessing the Ad Library API, and \u003ca href=\"https://github.com/the-markup/Ad-Library-API-Script-Repository/\">we’re sharing our changes\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To examine the assassination attempt merchandise, we ran a simple search of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/\">Meta’s Ad Library\u003c/a> for ads that mentioned “assassination,” including any in our analysis that also mentioned “Trump” and hundreds of others that didn’t mention the former president by name but were clearly related to the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First they jail him, now they try to end him,” one ad read. A conspiratorial ad for a commemorative two-dollar bill claimed “the assassination attempt was their Plan B,” while “Plan A was to make Biden abandon the presidential campaign.” Some ads used clips from the film JFK to suggest an unseen, malevolent force was at work in the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008157\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-800x1576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-800x1576.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-160x315.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy-780x1536.jpg 780w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-3-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup found that gun advocates used the presidential assassination attempt to promote products and services on Facebook, including this advertisement for a firearms safety course.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gun advocates paid for ads, using the assassination attempt as a foreboding call to action. One ad promoting a firearms safety course noted that “November is fast approaching.” A clothing business said in an ad that, since “the government can’t save you” from foreign enemies, Americans “need to be self-reliant, self-made, and self-sufficient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because when those bullets zip by, you are clearly on your own,” the ad read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of those ads did not appear to violate Meta’s policies, although some may have broken its \u003ca href=\"https://transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/violence-incitement/\">ban against\u003c/a> showing weapons while alleging “election-related corruption.” But even the ones that didn’t clearly violate Meta’s rules still place the company in an uncomfortable position, as the business takes in advertising dollars from posts tied to grim news cycles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself commented on the first Trump assassination attempt, saying \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-19/mark-zuckerberg-calls-donald-trump-badass-without-endorsing-for-president\">in an interview\u003c/a> that it was “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life.” Trump has now survived a second apparent assassination attempt, and Zuckerberg’s company has made millions of dollars through political advertising tied to these and other violent acts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit advocacy organization, said “it’s not a surprise” that ads around political violence would pop up after incidents “if Meta is not making any effort even on a good day to effectively enforce their policies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s huge problems with their advertising broadly,” she said. “They’re profiting off of a lot of harmful things, really without any sort of repercussions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Trump-fueled business and cash from war\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many businesses paying for the assassination ads sold pro-Trump gear before the shooting — and some might have spent a similar amount on ads if the shooting never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for some, the assassination attempt effectively became an entire business strategy, according to the review of Meta advertising data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A clothing company called Red First, which offers everything from customized shirts for pet owners to flags saying “Hillary belongs in prison,” offered assassination-related merchandise through a network of pages with names like 50 Stars Nation and Red White and Blue Zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, which operates in California and Vietnam, according to Meta’s required disclosures, has spent more than $1.8 million since February 2023 to promote ads through its various pages. But in the wake of the shooting, the company pivoted to merchandise around the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12008160\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12008160\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-800x1571.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-800x1571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-160x314.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy-782x1536.jpg 782w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/100324-FB-AD-CM-TM-SCREENSHOT-4-copy.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CalMatters and The Markup found that gun advocates used the presidential assassination attempt to promote products and services on Facebook, including this advertisement for a firearms safety course.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Red First’s ads were relatively innocuous compared to some that sprang up after the shooting – they promoted Trump, not the shooting, and not the idea of retaliation for it. One shirt showed an illustration of Trump, middle fingers in the air, and the words “you missed bigly.” The company has also offered Kamala Harris merchandise, recently launching a page dedicated to it as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ads related to the shooting simultaneously sold products, promoted Trump, and let Meta reap advertising cash from the incident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the thousands of ads posted by the company didn’t explicitly use the word “assassination,” but clearly referenced the event in other ways, using slogans like “he will overcome,” “fight fight fight,” “legends never die,” and “shooting makes me stronger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To suss out which ads were related to the shooting, we reviewed more than 4,200 ads from the company’s different pages with the assistance of a large language model \u003ca href=\"https://www.llama.com/\">named Llama\u003c/a>, a Meta AI model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We programmed the model to evaluate the text of each ad to determine whether it was related to the assassination attempt, then manually reviewed hundreds of its classifications to ensure it was working as expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After our review, we determined that more than 2,600 of those more than 4,200 ads were related to the assassination attempt. The total Red First paid to Meta in the 10 weeks after the shooting for those ads: between $473,000 and $798,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Red First lists a phone number and street address in Southern California, but didn’t respond to phone or email, and the listed address is for a mail-opening service.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The NRA and violent ads around the globe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The advocacy organization the Tech Transparency Project has charted how the National Rifle Association has \u003ca href=\"https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/profiting-from-tragedy\">paid to promote pro-gun views\u003c/a> on Meta and Google’s ad platforms after mass shootings. Despite calls from tech company executives for gun control, those companies profit from NRA spending that spikes after shootings, the group has pointed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla., the NRA increased its spending on Google and Facebook ads, the Tech Transparency Project noted in one report. In 2018, the year of the shooting, Meta received “more than $2 million in advertising fees from the NRA starting in May of that year,” the report found, which also found that “NRA ad spending reached its highest levels on Google and soared on Facebook” following a week of mass shootings the following year that left dozens of people dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/how-facebook-profits-insurrection\">Just days\u003c/a> before the January 6th insurrection, the Tech Transparency Project found that Meta hosted ads offering gun holsters and rifle accessories in far-right Facebook groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Internationally, Meta has often lapsed in its pledge to keep violent content off its platforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meta’s ad policies forbid calling for violence. But when faced with crucial tests of its content moderation practices, the company has repeatedly failed to detect and remove inflammatory ads. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/technology/myanmar-facebook.html\">A 2018 report\u003c/a>, commissioned by Facebook itself, found that its platform had been used to incite violence in Myanmar, and that the company hadn’t done enough to prevent it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alia Al Ghussain, a researcher on technology issues at Amnesty International, said that as troubling as some ads might be in English, ads in other languages may be even more likely to pass Meta’s content moderation. “In most of the non-English-speaking world, Facebook doesn’t have the resources that it needs to moderate the content on the platform effectively and safely,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite later admitting responsibility for violence in Myanmar, the company continues to be faulted for gaps in its international moderation work. Another advocacy organization found in a test that the company approved calls for \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/09/facebook-hate-speech-test-fail-meta\">the murder of ethnic groups in Ethiopia\u003c/a>. More recently, a similar test by \u003ca href=\"https://theintercept.com/2023/11/21/facebook-ad-israel-palestine-violence/\">an advocacy organization found\u003c/a> that ads explicitly calling for violence against Palestinians—a flagrant violation of Meta’s rules—were still approved to run by the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If ads which are presenting a risk of stoking tension or spreading misinformation are being approved in the US, in English, it really makes me fearful for what is happening in other countries in non-English-speaking languages,” Al Ghussain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/news/12008143/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence","authors":["byline_news_12008143"],"categories":["news_8","news_13","news_248"],"tags":["news_1323","news_249","news_250","news_30214","news_29111","news_34586"],"affiliates":["news_18481"],"featImg":"news_12008144","label":"news_18481"}},"programsReducer":{"possible":{"id":"possible","title":"Possible","info":"Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? 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You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. 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You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn","officialWebsiteLink":"/mindshift/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":11},"link":"/podcasts/mindshift","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"}},"morning-edition":{"id":"morning-edition","title":"Morning Edition","info":"\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. 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On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"On Our Watch from NPR and KQED","officialWebsiteLink":"/podcasts/onourwatch","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":10},"link":"/podcasts/onourwatch","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw","npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"}},"on-the-media":{"id":"on-the-media","title":"On The Media","info":"Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. 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