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At first glance, jails and prisons may not seem like the best environment for a mindfulness program. The noise level alone can be unsettling, let alone the windowless, cinder block walls. But John Eby turned that notion on its head. Instead, he asked, what better place could there be for a mindfulness class? In 2014, Eby, a psychotherapist who has worked for many years with Nevada County’s incarcerated and mentally ill, introduced an eight-week pilot mindfulness program in the jail at the...

California’s 1,100 miles of coastal beaches, many with soft sand and great waves and fun piers, are among the state’s greatest assets, destinations for locals and visitors alike. But new research shows that for many Californians the beach is out of reach. While the beach itself is intended to be free or inexpensive, ancillary expenses and social barriers often make it tough for low-income residents to enjoy a day on the sand. This week, legislation was introduced in Sacramento aimed at...

As fears mount about a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a growing number of California school districts are trying to reassure students they will be able to attend school without the intrusion of federal authorities. Last week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson again urged school leaders throughout the state to declare their districts “safe havens” to protect immigrant children. In December, he urged district leaders to use Sacramento Unified’s “safe...

A wide-ranging study of youth incarceration in California outlines what it calls the debilitating effects on the health of teens, their families and society when youthful offenders are tried and sentenced as adults. “ Juvenile Injustice ,” from Human Impact Partners , concludes that laws designed to try youth in adult courts not only fail to curtail recidivism but are so inherently flawed and biased that the entire approach must be scrapped. Researchers found that youth tried in adult courts...

Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills (serving the West San Fernando Valley and Ventura County) is requesting proposals for our 3 Year Community Benefit Grant Funding Cycle (2017 - 2020). The online application will open on February 15th and can be accessed at https://www.GrantRequest.com/SID_946?SA=SNA&FID=35288 The deadline for submitting your complete grant application is March 15th at 2:00 pm . Grant awards range from $24,000 to $60,000 under the following 4 funding priorities: Access to...

On behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund (SJVHF), we invite you to join state legislative and community leaders in a day of advocacy entitled Equity on the Mall, taking place on February 9 at our state capitol in Sacramento. Thursday, February 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California State Capitol 1315 10th Street, Sacramento The day will include a powerful program at the West Steps of the Capitol on the movement being built in the San Joaquin Valley. Highlights will include remarks by elected...

California has welcomed about 112,000 refugees in the last 15 years, according to the State Department. They have resettled in more than 440 California cities and unincorporated communities. San Diego County has seen the biggest influx of refugees in recent years, with more than 31,000 refugees resettling there since 2002. About 11,500 Iraqis have resettled in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon alone. Los Angeles County welcomed nearly 30,000 refugees in the last 15 years. In the Los Angeles...

As President Trump threatens to strip federal funding from so-called “sanctuary cities,” defiant Democrats in Sacramento are doubling down on policies to protect immigrants at risk of deportation — bills that many say would turn California into a sanctuary state. The fast-tracked proposals — set for hearings Tuesday — have become a key tactic in California’s resistance against the Trump administration’s policies on immigration. They have drawn plaudits from immigration advocates and...

On a recent rainy morning in Los Angeles, Maria Bernal’s stove clicks to life with a bright blue flame to toast bread on a griddle for her 9-year-old son, Edwin, to smear with peanut butter. As she scoops papaya chunks into the blender for a smoothie, she recalls her worry during all the years when she couldn’t afford health care and he suffered painful ear infections. The waiting six months to get an appointment for Edwin at a county facility. The nights trying to calm him as he cried in...

Foster children typically enter child welfare as the result of numerous ACEs. Unfortunately, being part of the system can cause even more trauma. California child welfare laws require putting the best interests and the wellbeing of a child first, and yet dependency courts often do not have all the information they need to make trauma informed decisions. Advokids, a California nonprofit, works to ensure that foster parents, clinicians, pediatricians, child advocates and many others have the...

A summit is underway this week to develop ways to reduce the number of mentally ill people in county jails. Sheriffs, judges, elected officials, and mental health professionals from 53 countie s are in Sacramento this week. Department of Justice surveys show nearly two-thirds of people in jail have a mental illness. The Stepping Up Initiative is hosting the summit. It was started in 2015 and now counts about 320 counties nationwide as partners in the effort. To read more of Bob Moffitt's...

Nevada County is participating in a National initiative called Stepping Up, aimed at addressing the issue of mental illness in jail. Stepping Up is a National initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jail, according to its website. Each year, there are an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses admitted to jails across the nation. That’s equivalent to the populations of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Almost three-fourths of these adults also...