In 2022, seven of the ten highest paid public officials in the city of Berkeley were members of the police department, according to data from the California state controller's Government Compensation in California database.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday he was committed to paying out compensation swiftly to thousands of people affected by the country's infected blood scandal, which saw more than 2,000 patients die after contracting HIV or hepatitis from transfusions of tainted blood in the 1970s and 1980s. The Infected Blood Inquiry was established in 2017 to examine how thousands of patients in the UK were infected with HIV or Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. The contaminated blood was linked to supplies of a clotting agent called Factor VIII, which British health services bought from the U.S. Some of the plasma used to make the blood products was traced to high-risk donors, including prison inmates, who were paid to give blood samples.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature reached an agreement on a state budget totaling $310.8 billion for the 2023-24 fiscal year. It came into effect July 1. The agreement includes provisions for trailer bills that support clean transportation, expanded Medi-Cal coverage, expedited judicial review, advanced mitigation by Caltrans, the conversion of San Quentin into a rehabilitation center and wildlife crossings on I-15, among other initiatives. | By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson California Black Media Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week. Gov. Newsom, Legislature Agree on $310.8 Billion Budget Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature reached an agreement on a state budget totaling $310.8 billion for the 2023-24 fiscal year. It came into