ITV Healthbeat - Billionaires & More
"Examining the Billionaire Tax Act, support for trans kids, disability rights, and the Make Polluters Pay Initiative!"
This week, we cover updates from the previous issue, and look at what’s going on with the Billionaire Tax Act, trans kids in our community, disability rights, and delve into the Make Polluters Pay Initiative. If you have feedback, please feel free to let us know at itvhealth@proton.me.
Updates:
OMB Proposed Rule 2026-0034
Thank you to those who have submitted comments to the OMB Proposed Rule 2026-0034, which would kill science and federal funding as we know it today. If you have not done so, the comment period is still open until July 13, 2026.
Proposed Medi-Cal Budget Cuts Get A Positive Update
The Fight for Our Health (FFOH) coalition reports that many of Governor Newsom’s proposed Medi-Cal budget cuts have been delayed or cut from the California legislature’s proposal. Additionally, it now includes language for a “Fair Share” revenue framework; any new revenue decisions would be delayed to 2027 and under the purview of the new elected governor. Still, these changes are all pending agreement from the governor, State Senate, and State Assembly.
What’s Going on with Taxes and Healthcare in CA
The SEIU-backed and proposed Billionaire Tax Act, which would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires who reside in CA to fill federal cuts to healthcare and education, has gathered enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Organizers have offered a compromise 2% wealth tax in order to remove the Billionaire Tax Act from the ballot, but Governor Gavin Newsom indicated he opposed both proposals. On the podcast show Lever Time, David Sirota interviewed president of SEIU-UHW Dave Regan about the Billionaire Tax Act and why there is so much opposition. According to Regan, he believes that Governor Newsom is opposed to the wealth tax, because he is reliant on wealthy donors for his own presidential ambitions. In May, PPIC reported that in a survey of likely voters, a majority (54%) support the initiative. Two other measures have also qualified for the ballot which would attempt to negate the effects of the Billionaire Tax Act - the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act would ban new state taxes on personal property, and Improving Transparency, Effectiveness and Efficiency in California Government Act would require audits of state programs funded by special taxes.
Meanwhile, the California State Senate just approved SB 125, which would “lower the tax on Medi-Cal plans and raise the tax on private plans to the same level”. Private plans have indicated the costs of this tax would be passed on to the consumer, and it’s estimated that it would cost the average consumer about $100 more per year per person, in a time when healthcare costs are already rising.
LGBTQ+ News in the Tri-Valley
Several Bay Area families with transgender children who are patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital are suing the federal government to stop them from obtaining their children’s medical information. The Trump administration has been going after transgender patients, by investigating hospitals that treat these patients and issuing identical subpoenas to request confidential medical records. Last week a California federal judge issued an emergency order, temporarily blocking the Trump administration from obtaining the patient records of these children. Experts fear that if the government’s intimidation tactics are successful, it could have consequences far beyond transgender youth.
The California State Senate and Assembly have included in their budget agreement a $26 million proposal to “establish a state system for transition-related healthcare and stabilize existing provider networks”. While this is encouraging news, Equality California is encouraging voters to send a letter to Governor Newsom to ask for his support for a pro-equality budget agreement.
Disability Rights Protections Under Scrutiny
A newly released U.S. Department of Justice memo is raising concerns among disability advocates by questioning longstanding interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision. For decades, federal policy has supported the right of people with disabilities to receive services in community settings rather than institutions whenever appropriate. The new memo argues that states may not be legally required to provide these community-based services. Advocates fear this shift could weaken protections and increase the risk of unnecessary institutionalization for people with disabilities.
Learn more:
• PBS NewsHour: New Justice Department memo questions decades of protections for people with disabilities
• The Arc: The Arc National Advocacy Resources
• U.S. Department of Justice Disability Rights Section: DOJ Disability Rights Section
Make Polluters Pay Initiative - Intersection of Climate Change with Public Health
On June 6, Indivisible Tri-Valley, in collaboration with a consortium of 10 local environmental organizations, hosted the Tri-Valley Polluters Pay Town Hall in Dublin. This town hall focused on the proposed Polluters Pay Climate Superfund and how it could benefit our local communities by funding mitigations to the deleterious impacts of climate change and pollution.
One component of the town hall centered on the intersection between climate change and public health. Keynote speaker, Dr. Wendy Bernstein, discussed how climate change and pollution degrade public health and how, often, the worst impacts are felt by historically marginalized communities. As an example, she highlighted how in the East Bay the incidence of childhood asthma is disproportionately felt in historically red-lined communities. Because these areas are located close to industrial sites and freeways, they see much higher exposures to nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants. Another serious concern is that climate change is increasing the number of days with extreme heat, which strongly affects outdoor workers, athletes, and the unhoused, and can be particularly severe in urban environments with lack of shade. Extreme heat is very hard on the kidneys and can lead to severe outcomes, including heat-stroke and death.
Dr. Bernstein is affiliated with Climate Health Now, an organization that mobilizes the California health community to advocate for climate action. Bernstein emphasized how important it is for the health community to advocate for climate action, commenting on her own transformation to climate activism, "I realized I can't just compost and make everything ok."
A video of all the presentations from the town hall is available on YouTube.
ICYMI
Resources and Action Links
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