If you’re a Kaiser Permanente member and over the age of 18 you can expect a survey in the mail, a survey asking for personal information including lifestyle, diet, exposure to smoking, physical activities, and medical history. Kaiser has announced that it is starting a large-scale effort to study how genetic and environmental factors put people at risk for disease and disorders such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and Alzheimer's. Kaiser officials hope to involve about 500,000 of its 2 million, or so, adult members in research that it says could lead to treatments and drug therapies tailored to individual patients. "Our research could help us identify not only what diseases a person may be at risk for, but also identify how to reduce that risk, or how best to treat the disease," said Cathy Schaefer, director of Kaiser's Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health, who spoke at a news conference yesterday in Oakland.

According to a report released by the California State Legislative Analyst’s Office yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have underestimated the cost of his health care plan by between $150 million to more than $3 billion. The governor has estimated his plan will cost 12 billion dollars a year to bring down insurance costs and extend coverage to the 6.5 million Californians the LAO’s report states that the actual costs may be higher. The Legislative Analyst's Office gave the nonpartisan report to the Senate Health Committee during the first hearing on the proposal Thursday. Though Schwarzenegger released the plan in January,

Thursday marked the first time lawmakers have been able to ask questions about it in an official setting. The proposal would require individuals to buy coverage, employers to help pay for it, and insurers to sell it to anyone who wants it. Doctors and hospitals would also be asked to chip in to help fund the expansion, which would also rely on a significant amount of new federal funding. According to the Sacbee, Kim Belshe, California secretary of health and human services, testified that the governor's plan would change the health care marketplace, making insurance more affordable for working families who would be required to purchase it because more people would be participating in the system. But several members of the Health Committee said the plan relied heavily on financial models without guaranteeing that people could afford the insurance they would have to buy."I don't see anything in the proposal that helps us feel confident that affordability will be achieved," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat from Santa Monica who chairs the committee.

 

The 2007 Sacramento-area real estate season opened last month with 2,522 greater Sacramento area home sellers closing escrow successfully. That is the lowest January number since 1998, according to La Jolla-based DataQuick Information Systems. January's total of 2522 compared to 3,113 December closings of new and existing homes in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties and 2,999 in January 2006, DataQuick reported. The December to January decline reflects a normal seasonal pattern, DataQuick said. January's escrow closings reflect homes sales initiated in late 2006. The Bay Area and Southern California also reported the fewest January closings since the late 1990s, according to DataQuick. Median sales prices, meanwhile, continued a months-long trend of being lower than the same time a year ago in seven of eight Sacramento-area counties. Only Nevada County with 107 closings saw higher sales prices than January 2006.

A Sacramento judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged new automobile insurance regulations championed by former insurance commissioner John Garamendi. The new rules require auto insurers to base their rates primarily on motorists' driving records instead of where they live. Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster granted a summary judgment yesterday, ruling that regulations that were adopted last year by the state insurance commissioner were consistent with Proposition 103. Prop 1031 is the rate-regulation initiative adopted by voters back in 1998.

Is it true that an accounting error has lead to the discovery of nearly 10 million dollars in state transportation funds by the project director of the Tri County’s projects? Yes, but is more complicated than that according to Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field. Field explains that project manager Scott Maas had reported 13.9 million dollars in project deficits, due to cost overruns on both the Sutter Creek project and massive overruns on the Angel’s project. Maas now reports that Prop 1b funds have come to the rescue and although the larger deficit showed on previous reports, now the deficit is just 3.5 million dollars. The subject of these overruns has been an ongoing issue in the Tri County Alliance which includes Amador, Alpine and Calaveras Counties.

Local officials received a mixed reception last week when they made a lobbying trip to the State Capitol to discuss local issues surrounding Mule Creek State Prison. The County’s lobbyist Wes Loujan set up appointments for Supervisors Novelli and Forster, as well as County Counsel Martha Shaver to meet with budget staff for both the assembly and senate, and staff from the governor’s office. County Counsel Martha Shaver explained the reason for the trip.

“Our purpose in going down was not to have a particular proposal, but rather before things start getting really hot and heavy in the legislative session to just have these people who are dealing with prison issues and budget matters aware of the particular problems that we are having in Amador County and the commitments that have been made to us by both secretary Tilton (who is the secretary of the CDCR) and the Warden of Mule Creek (Richard Subia) about their willingness to address the problems.”  She continued by saying that, “We wanted to make sure we had that kind of commitment on the administrative side that the legislature would be willing to assist us in backing up those …what we hope are promises that we will see come to pass.”

The City of Jackson recently discussed the formation of a new ad hoc committee or taskforce for developing an economic development strategy for the City of Jackson. During the review of committee assignments for this year, the concept of a special committee or task force to address local economic development issues was discussed as several factors are impacting the local economy. Many of which according to Daly are resulting form the recent development of the Martell Business Park.

The state Senate on Tuesday passed a measure that would move California’s presidential primary election to the first Tuesday in February beginning in 2008, while leaving the statewide primary election in June.  Supporters say the measure is necessary in California because presidential candidates typically visit the state to raise money but spend little time courting voters. The Democrat and Republican nominations are usually decided long before the state's traditional June primary according to proponents. State Senator Cox argues that this measure is NOT about making California relevant.  It is about changing term limits and redistricting.  In addition, this measure would cost $50 to $60 million.  We still face a multi-billion dollar structural deficit and we have higher priorities than an expensive election. The Bill will now move to the assembly.