Community input sought on Mental Health Services Act programs mtdemocrat.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mtdemocrat.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Charter school reimbursements continue to drain Medford budget
Neil Zolot / medford@wickedlocal.com
City officials are requesting Medford’s state delegation advocate for a “hold harmless” provision for charter school reimbursements in the fiscal 2022 state budget to prevent a nearly $1 million loss in urgently needed aid for Medford schools.
It also calls for the delegation to explore a permanent solution that will stop draining of over $8 million in the city budget for charter schools.
Councilor Isaac Zac Bears, who made the proposal during the board s March 2 meeting, called the projected loss “a major hit to the budget. It’s important our delegation try to mitigate that.”
Call Goes Out For Youth Mental Health Advocates noozhawk.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from noozhawk.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Medford officials seek funding for their own legal representation
Neil Zolot / medford@wickedlocal.com
The Medford City Council is looking for a lawyer of its own.
On Feb. 9, Councilors John Falco and Adam Knight proposed the body ask Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn to include a line item in the fiscal 2022 budget to fund separate legal representation for itself.
“We talk about issues with legal implications,” Falco said. “We need a line item to hire an attorney to help us with our weekly work.”
He also said some legal questions are sent to Acting City Solicitor Kim Scanlon and others to consultant KP Law.
Commentary: A referendum against our kids
Special to CalMatters
Last year, the California Legislature passed the toughest law in the nation to protect kids like mine from getting hooked on Big Tobacco’s menthol cigarettes and sugary-sweet, candy-flavored e-cigarettes. As a parent and a volunteer advocate for Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes, I felt like I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The feeling was short-lived. A month before this life-saving law was set to take effect, the tobacco industry submitted signatures to reverse this measure through a referendum on the 2022 statewide ballot.
Candy-flavored products hook kids on nicotine. Tobacco companies know this. Using flavors like cotton candy, bubble gum and gummy bears, they have created an epidemic of e-cigarette use among our youth. One in five high school students now use vape products and 81% who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored one.