HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
June 18, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) — Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) … Cases of the “dual mutant” influenza variant were identified in 15 countries across five continents, including two cases in the US, according to a report published Wednesday in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) Four eye lubricant products, including some sold at Walmart and CVS, have been added to the growing list of potentially contaminated over-the-counter eye products made in India. For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Consuming raw milk could lead to the spread of bird flu. Republicans don’t care. Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) … While 85% of all lung cancers are non-small-cell (NSCLC), just 3% to 5% of the these cancers are the ALK-positive kind. The prognosis has been especially grim, as it’s common for the cancer to spread to the brain and survival is typically measured in months…In DeMara’s case, the cancer was already found in both lungs, his liver, bones, and brain. His doctors prescribed a targeted oral medication, lorlatinib (Lorbrena)… SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) AI models are, apparently, getting better at lying on purpose. Two recent studies — one published this week in the journal PNAS and the other last month in the journal Patterns — reveal some jarring findings about large language models (LLMs) and their ability to lie to or deceive human observers on purpose…” GPT- 4, for instance, exhibits deceptive behavior in simple test scenarios 99.16% of the time” Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) NewsBreak [is] a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States… Billing itself as “the go-to source for all things local,” Newsbreak … publishes licensed content from major media outlets, including Reuters, Fox, AP and CNN as well as some information obtained by scraping the internet for local news or press releases which it rewrites with the help of AI. It is only available in the U.S. But in at least 40 instances since 2021, the app’s use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve, with Newsbreak publishing erroneous stories; creating 10 stories from local news sites under fictitious bylines; and lifting content from its competitors… A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). A priest, running on AI, was trained on Catholic doctrine and meant to be a cutting-edge tool to answer questions about faith. The chatbot caught on quickly, but with unintended consequences. CNN’s Jon Sarlin explores the rise (and rebirth) of Father Justin.
HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
June 18, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) — Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) … Cases of the “dual mutant” influenza variant were identified in 15 countries across five continents, including two cases in the US, according to a report published Wednesday in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) Four eye lubricant products, including some sold at Walmart and CVS, have been added to the growing list of potentially contaminated over-the-counter eye products made in India. For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Consuming raw milk could lead to the spread of bird flu. Republicans don’t care. Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) … While 85% of all lung cancers are non-small-cell (NSCLC), just 3% to 5% of the these cancers are the ALK-positive kind. The prognosis has been especially grim, as it’s common for the cancer to spread to the brain and survival is typically measured in months…In DeMara’s case, the cancer was already found in both lungs, his liver, bones, and brain. His doctors prescribed a targeted oral medication, lorlatinib (Lorbrena)… SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) AI models are, apparently, getting better at lying on purpose. Two recent studies — one published this week in the journal PNAS and the other last month in the journal Patterns — reveal some jarring findings about large language models (LLMs) and their ability to lie to or deceive human observers on purpose…” GPT- 4, for instance, exhibits deceptive behavior in simple test scenarios 99.16% of the time” Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) NewsBreak [is] a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States… Billing itself as “the go-to source for all things local,” Newsbreak … publishes licensed content from major media outlets, including Reuters, Fox, AP and CNN as well as some information obtained by scraping the internet for local news or press releases which it rewrites with the help of AI. It is only available in the U.S. But in at least 40 instances since 2021, the app’s use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve, with Newsbreak publishing erroneous stories; creating 10 stories from local news sites under fictitious bylines; and lifting content from its competitors… A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). A priest, running on AI, was trained on Catholic doctrine and meant to be a cutting-edge tool to answer questions about faith. The chatbot caught on quickly, but with unintended consequences. CNN’s Jon Sarlin explores the rise (and rebirth) of Father Justin.
HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
June 18, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) — Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down. HEALTH Rare drug-resistant flu variant identified in the US, CDC says (CNN) … Cases of the “dual mutant” influenza variant were identified in 15 countries across five continents, including two cases in the US, according to a report published Wednesday in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. New Recall Warning Issued for Eye Lubricants Sold at Walmart, CVS (WebMD) Four eye lubricant products, including some sold at Walmart and CVS, have been added to the growing list of potentially contaminated over-the-counter eye products made in India. For Republicans, raw milk is the new masking (Salon) Consuming raw milk could lead to the spread of bird flu. Republicans don’t care. Lung Cancer Drug’s ‘Off-the-Charts’ Results Give Patients Hope (WebMD) … While 85% of all lung cancers are non-small-cell (NSCLC), just 3% to 5% of the these cancers are the ALK-positive kind. The prognosis has been especially grim, as it’s common for the cancer to spread to the brain and survival is typically measured in months…In DeMara’s case, the cancer was already found in both lungs, his liver, bones, and brain. His doctors prescribed a targeted oral medication, lorlatinib (Lorbrena)… SCIENCE AND TECH AI Systems Are Learning to Lie and Deceive, Scientists Find (Futurism) AI models are, apparently, getting better at lying on purpose. Two recent studies — one published this week in the journal PNAS and the other last month in the journal Patterns — reveal some jarring findings about large language models (LLMs) and their ability to lie to or deceive human observers on purpose…” GPT- 4, for instance, exhibits deceptive behavior in simple test scenarios 99.16% of the time” Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI (Reuters) NewsBreak [is] a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States… Billing itself as “the go-to source for all things local,” Newsbreak … publishes licensed content from major media outlets, including Reuters, Fox, AP and CNN as well as some information obtained by scraping the internet for local news or press releases which it rewrites with the help of AI. It is only available in the U.S. But in at least 40 instances since 2021, the app’s use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve, with Newsbreak publishing erroneous stories; creating 10 stories from local news sites under fictitious bylines; and lifting content from its competitors… A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened (CNN). A priest, running on AI, was trained on Catholic doctrine and meant to be a cutting-edge tool to answer questions about faith. The chatbot caught on quickly, but with unintended consequences. CNN’s Jon Sarlin explores the rise (and rebirth) of Father Justin.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES ACTION TO PROTECT MANY IMMIGRANT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS FROM DEPORTATION, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN
Plan also makes it easier for DACA recipients and immigrant college graduates to obtain work visas By Miriam Raftery Photo: Immigrant rights march, via Wikimedia June 18,2024 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden today announced executive actions to protect a half million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. An estimated 50,000 children under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be protected from deportation. Until now, undocumented spouses and children of citizens had to leave the U.S. to apply for permanent residency, a process that often separated families for years. A similar parole in place program is already used to protect undocumented families of military members. The new, broader parole-in-place program will allow parents and children to stay in the U.S. for three years while they apply for permanent residency. All applicants will be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security to assure the applicant does not pose a threat to public safety or national security. Reuters reports that the majority of those set to benefit from the order are Mexicans, many of them in California. In addition, Biden announced a program to make it easier for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented college graduates to obtain work visas/green cards if they have been offered a job related to their degree. The actions have drawn both praise and criticism. California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety, says the Presidents plans will “improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of American families who will no longer have to live with fear and uncertainty of being torn apart or risk being separated for extended periods as they navigate the complex bureaucracy of our broken immigration system,” adding that actions to help DACA recipients/Dreamers to be sponsored for work visas will enable them ”the opoprtunity to continue contributing their talents to our communities and our workforce.” Padilla concludes, “These actions aren’t only the morally right thing to do, they are in America’s best interest. The individuals and families who will benefit from these protections contribute immensely to our economy and our country. But Donald Trump’s presidential campaign claims, “Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors.” Fact check: Immigrant workers with work visas would pay into he Social Security system. As for crime, Forbes reports, a Texas Dept. of Public Safety report found that U.S.-born citizens are more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, and 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes than undocumented immigrants. The actions to protect undocumented families of citizens and DACA recipients comes after President Biden issued a separate order to shut down the border and deport most asylum seekers crossing illegally whenever there are high numbers of undocumented border crossers, though there are exceptions for unaccompanied minors and those with severe medical needs. San Diego’s border has exceeded the threshold for months, triggering a shutdown for processing migrants who enter the U.S. between official border crossing points. That action is being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which likened it to a Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy found unlawful. The border shutdown also drew criticism from immigrant rights and Latino groups, some of which have praised the actions to protect families of citizens and DACA recipients. Conservative groups, meanwhile, are expected to file legal challenges seeking to block Biden’s most recent executive orders. Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledges that more is needed to fix our “broken immigration system” such as providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. But bipartisan immigration reform measure, even a recent bill that would have strengthened border security as well as enacting immigration reforms, have failed to pass due to the partisan divide in Congress. “President Biden and I continue to call on the United States Congress to join us in acting by passing permanent protection for Dreamers,” the Vice President concludes.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES ACTION TO PROTECT MANY IMMIGRANT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS FROM DEPORTATION, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN
Plan also makes it easier for DACA recipients and immigrant college graduates to obtain work visas By Miriam Raftery Photo: Immigrant rights march, via Wikimedia June 18,2024 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden today announced executive actions to protect a half million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. An estimated 50,000 children under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be protected from deportation. Until now, undocumented spouses and children of citizens had to leave the U.S. to apply for permanent residency, a process that often separated families for years. A similar parole in place program is already used to protect undocumented families of military members. The new, broader parole-in-place program will allow parents and children to stay in the U.S. for three years while they apply for permanent residency. All applicants will be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security to assure the applicant does not pose a threat to public safety or national security. Reuters reports that the majority of those set to benefit from the order are Mexicans, many of them in California. In addition, Biden announced a program to make it easier for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented college graduates to obtain work visas/green cards if they have been offered a job related to their degree. The actions have drawn both praise and criticism. California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety, says the Presidents plans will “improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of American families who will no longer have to live with fear and uncertainty of being torn apart or risk being separated for extended periods as they navigate the complex bureaucracy of our broken immigration system,” adding that actions to help DACA recipients/Dreamers to be sponsored for work visas will enable them ”the opoprtunity to continue contributing their talents to our communities and our workforce.” Padilla concludes, “These actions aren’t only the morally right thing to do, they are in America’s best interest. The individuals and families who will benefit from these protections contribute immensely to our economy and our country. But Donald Trump’s presidential campaign claims, “Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors.” Fact check: Immigrant workers with work visas would pay into he Social Security system. As for crime, Forbes reports, a Texas Dept. of Public Safety report found that U.S.-born citizens are more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, and 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes than undocumented immigrants. The actions to protect undocumented families of citizens and DACA recipients comes after President Biden issued a separate order to shut down the border and deport most asylum seekers crossing illegally whenever there are high numbers of undocumented border crossers, though there are exceptions for unaccompanied minors and those with severe medical needs. San Diego’s border has exceeded the threshold for months, triggering a shutdown for processing migrants who enter the U.S. between official border crossing points. That action is being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which likened it to a Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy found unlawful. The border shutdown also drew criticism from immigrant rights and Latino groups, some of which have praised the actions to protect families of citizens and DACA recipients. Conservative groups, meanwhile, are expected to file legal challenges seeking to block Biden’s most recent executive orders. Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledges that more is needed to fix our “broken immigration system” such as providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. But bipartisan immigration reform measure, even a recent bill that would have strengthened border security as well as enacting immigration reforms, have failed to pass due to the partisan divide in Congress. “President Biden and I continue to call on the United States Congress to join us in acting by passing permanent protection for Dreamers,” the Vice President concludes.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES ACTION TO PROTECT MANY IMMIGRANT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS FROM DEPORTATION, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN
Plan also makes it easier for DACA recipients and immigrant college graduates to obtain work visas By Miriam Raftery Photo: Immigrant rights march, via Wikimedia June 18,2024 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden today announced executive actions to protect a half million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. An estimated 50,000 children under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be protected from deportation. Until now, undocumented spouses and children of citizens had to leave the U.S. to apply for permanent residency, a process that often separated families for years. A similar parole in place program is already used to protect undocumented families of military members. The new, broader parole-in-place program will allow parents and children to stay in the U.S. for three years while they apply for permanent residency. All applicants will be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security to assure the applicant does not pose a threat to public safety or national security. Reuters reports that the majority of those set to benefit from the order are Mexicans, many of them in California. In addition, Biden announced a program to make it easier for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented college graduates to obtain work visas/green cards if they have been offered a job related to their degree. The actions have drawn both praise and criticism. California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety, says the Presidents plans will “improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of American families who will no longer have to live with fear and uncertainty of being torn apart or risk being separated for extended periods as they navigate the complex bureaucracy of our broken immigration system,” adding that actions to help DACA recipients/Dreamers to be sponsored for work visas will enable them ”the opoprtunity to continue contributing their talents to our communities and our workforce.” Padilla concludes, “These actions aren’t only the morally right thing to do, they are in America’s best interest. The individuals and families who will benefit from these protections contribute immensely to our economy and our country. But Donald Trump’s presidential campaign claims, “Biden’s mass amnesty plan will undoubtedly lead to a greater surge in migrant crime, cost taxpayers millions of dollars they cannot afford, overwhelm public services, and steal Social Security and Medicare benefits from American seniors.” Fact check: Immigrant workers with work visas would pay into he Social Security system. As for crime, Forbes reports, a Texas Dept. of Public Safety report found that U.S.-born citizens are more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, and 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes than undocumented immigrants. The actions to protect undocumented families of citizens and DACA recipients comes after President Biden issued a separate order to shut down the border and deport most asylum seekers crossing illegally whenever there are high numbers of undocumented border crossers, though there are exceptions for unaccompanied minors and those with severe medical needs. San Diego’s border has exceeded the threshold for months, triggering a shutdown for processing migrants who enter the U.S. between official border crossing points. That action is being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which likened it to a Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy found unlawful. The border shutdown also drew criticism from immigrant rights and Latino groups, some of which have praised the actions to protect families of citizens and DACA recipients. Conservative groups, meanwhile, are expected to file legal challenges seeking to block Biden’s most recent executive orders. Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledges that more is needed to fix our “broken immigration system” such as providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. But bipartisan immigration reform measure, even a recent bill that would have strengthened border security as well as enacting immigration reforms, have failed to pass due to the partisan divide in Congress. “President Biden and I continue to call on the United States Congress to join us in acting by passing permanent protection for Dreamers,” the Vice President concludes.
CALIFORNIA PUSHES INSURERS TO COVER MORE HOMES IN SPECIFIC AREAS
California can’t legally require insurers to write either residential or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply with the options unveiled Wednesday in part because they get something they want in return: catastrophe modeling. By Levi Sumagaysay, Cal Matters CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. Photo: Firefighters battling a fire in Valley Center, one of the zip codes designated as “high-fire-risk,” where officials would encourage more policies to be written, 2010 file photo June 18, 2024 (Sacramento) — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveiled Wednesday an effort to force insurers to resume writing policies in high-fire-risk areas — part of an overall plan to address the state’s insurance crisis. It consists of three different ways insurers can meet minimum requirements for writing policies in areas deemed “high risk” or “very high risk” by the department, which aligns with Cal Fire’s identification of hazard zones. Insurance Department regulators said this hybrid approach takes into account the state’s complex geography as well as the different risk levels that big and small insurers can afford to assume. Lara said this should help homeowners who have lost coverage or been forced to turn to the last-resort FAIR Plan. Insurance companies would have these three options: Write 85% of their statewide market share in high-risk areas. The department explains it this way: “If a company writes 20 out of 100 homes statewide, it must write 17 out of 100 homes in a distressed area.” Achieve one-time 5% growth in the number of policies they write in high-risk areas. Expand their number of policies 5% by taking people out of the strained FAIR Plan, a pool of insurers the state requires to provide fire-insurance policies when property owners can’t obtain insurance elsewhere. Photo: 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego’s East County, courtesy of Cal Fire Insurers could meet these policy-writing quotas either at the county level or the ZIP code level. Specifically, they could apply the 85% or 5% option in counties regulators have identified as distressed, or in ZIP codes regulators have deemed “undermarketed” and high risk — meaning the ZIP codes have at least 15% of policies in the FAIR Plan and have a certain percentage of residents who can’t afford their premiums. Insurers who already meet the 85% threshold would be required to maintain that for at least three years after a rate application. Or they can choose the third option, reducing policies in the FAIR Plan statewide. Regulators will update these areas at least once a year. Gov. Gavin Newsom hailed Lara’s announcement as “critical” to fixing the state’s insurance crisis. “As the climate crisis has rapidly intensified, the insurance system hasn’t been seriously reformed in 30 years – this is part of our strategy to strengthen our marketplace and get folks the coverage they need,” the governor said in a statement. A growing number of property insurers have paused or stopped writing policies in California in recent years, citing increased fire risk and inflation. If today’s proposal works as intended, homeowners could eventually find it easier to buy insurance with adequate coverage, as opposed to the expensive fire-only policies that many recently have been forced to buy from the FAIR Plan. The proposed options aren’t technically requirements, because the state cannot legally require insurers to write either homeowner or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply because failure to do so would mean insurers would not be able to take advantage of something they’ve lobbied for long and hard: catastrophe modeling. Photo: 2007 Harris Fire, photo taken at Barrett Junction by Miriam Raftery Lara unveiled the first part of his plan to allow for catastrophe modeling in March; this is the second part of that plan. Catastrophe modeling takes into account historical data and combines that with projected risk and losses — something insurers have been able to do in every other U.S. state but California. Insurers will be able to use it here once Lara’s overall plan takes effect as promised at the end of the year. Today’s announcement made clear what the companies will have to do in return. “Insurance companies need to commit to writing more policies and my department will need to verify those commitments and hold them accountable,” Lara told reporters this morning. When they submit rate reviews, insurers will state which of the pathways they choose. If they don’t fulfill the requirements of that pathway, “my department will use its law enforcement authority and reconsider rate reviews,” the commissioner said. That means possible lowering of rates and even refunds, according to his staff. Lara’s staff said they established the requirements for minimum coverage in distressed areas after talking with different stakeholders, including insurance companies that said the requirements were achievable. But the draft regulations also include a possible out for insurers, who would be able to request “alternative commitments” because of changes in their size or scope of coverage, or the “frequency or severity of recent events” affecting them. The draft regulation would give insurance companies two years after a rate filing to comply with the quasi-requirements — time regulators said the companies need to be able to write those policies. “We expect them to get started right away, but recognize they just can’t flip a switch,” said Michael Soller, deputy commissioner and spokesperson for the Insurance Department. But Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber said in a statement that she sees those two years as a loophole that “lets insurance companies off the hook if they fail to meet their commitments.” Meanwhile, she said, consumers would have been paying higher premiums. “The rest of the plan will still mean quick, massive rate hikes,” she told CalMatters. One insurance industry group, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, did not address any specifics of the plan released
CALIFORNIA PUSHES INSURERS TO COVER MORE HOMES IN SPECIFIC AREAS
California can’t legally require insurers to write either residential or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply with the options unveiled Wednesday in part because they get something they want in return: catastrophe modeling. By Levi Sumagaysay, Cal Matters CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. Photo: Firefighters battling a fire in Valley Center, one of the zip codes designated as “high-fire-risk,” where officials would encourage more policies to be written, 2010 file photo June 18, 2024 (Sacramento) — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveiled Wednesday an effort to force insurers to resume writing policies in high-fire-risk areas — part of an overall plan to address the state’s insurance crisis. It consists of three different ways insurers can meet minimum requirements for writing policies in areas deemed “high risk” or “very high risk” by the department, which aligns with Cal Fire’s identification of hazard zones. Insurance Department regulators said this hybrid approach takes into account the state’s complex geography as well as the different risk levels that big and small insurers can afford to assume. Lara said this should help homeowners who have lost coverage or been forced to turn to the last-resort FAIR Plan. Insurance companies would have these three options: Write 85% of their statewide market share in high-risk areas. The department explains it this way: “If a company writes 20 out of 100 homes statewide, it must write 17 out of 100 homes in a distressed area.” Achieve one-time 5% growth in the number of policies they write in high-risk areas. Expand their number of policies 5% by taking people out of the strained FAIR Plan, a pool of insurers the state requires to provide fire-insurance policies when property owners can’t obtain insurance elsewhere. Photo: 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego’s East County, courtesy of Cal Fire Insurers could meet these policy-writing quotas either at the county level or the ZIP code level. Specifically, they could apply the 85% or 5% option in counties regulators have identified as distressed, or in ZIP codes regulators have deemed “undermarketed” and high risk — meaning the ZIP codes have at least 15% of policies in the FAIR Plan and have a certain percentage of residents who can’t afford their premiums. Insurers who already meet the 85% threshold would be required to maintain that for at least three years after a rate application. Or they can choose the third option, reducing policies in the FAIR Plan statewide. Regulators will update these areas at least once a year. Gov. Gavin Newsom hailed Lara’s announcement as “critical” to fixing the state’s insurance crisis. “As the climate crisis has rapidly intensified, the insurance system hasn’t been seriously reformed in 30 years – this is part of our strategy to strengthen our marketplace and get folks the coverage they need,” the governor said in a statement. A growing number of property insurers have paused or stopped writing policies in California in recent years, citing increased fire risk and inflation. If today’s proposal works as intended, homeowners could eventually find it easier to buy insurance with adequate coverage, as opposed to the expensive fire-only policies that many recently have been forced to buy from the FAIR Plan. The proposed options aren’t technically requirements, because the state cannot legally require insurers to write either homeowner or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply because failure to do so would mean insurers would not be able to take advantage of something they’ve lobbied for long and hard: catastrophe modeling. Photo: 2007 Harris Fire, photo taken at Barrett Junction by Miriam Raftery Lara unveiled the first part of his plan to allow for catastrophe modeling in March; this is the second part of that plan. Catastrophe modeling takes into account historical data and combines that with projected risk and losses — something insurers have been able to do in every other U.S. state but California. Insurers will be able to use it here once Lara’s overall plan takes effect as promised at the end of the year. Today’s announcement made clear what the companies will have to do in return. “Insurance companies need to commit to writing more policies and my department will need to verify those commitments and hold them accountable,” Lara told reporters this morning. When they submit rate reviews, insurers will state which of the pathways they choose. If they don’t fulfill the requirements of that pathway, “my department will use its law enforcement authority and reconsider rate reviews,” the commissioner said. That means possible lowering of rates and even refunds, according to his staff. Lara’s staff said they established the requirements for minimum coverage in distressed areas after talking with different stakeholders, including insurance companies that said the requirements were achievable. But the draft regulations also include a possible out for insurers, who would be able to request “alternative commitments” because of changes in their size or scope of coverage, or the “frequency or severity of recent events” affecting them. The draft regulation would give insurance companies two years after a rate filing to comply with the quasi-requirements — time regulators said the companies need to be able to write those policies. “We expect them to get started right away, but recognize they just can’t flip a switch,” said Michael Soller, deputy commissioner and spokesperson for the Insurance Department. But Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber said in a statement that she sees those two years as a loophole that “lets insurance companies off the hook if they fail to meet their commitments.” Meanwhile, she said, consumers would have been paying higher premiums. “The rest of the plan will still mean quick, massive rate hikes,” she told CalMatters. One insurance industry group, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, did not address any specifics of the plan released
CALIFORNIA PUSHES INSURERS TO COVER MORE HOMES IN SPECIFIC AREAS
California can’t legally require insurers to write either residential or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply with the options unveiled Wednesday in part because they get something they want in return: catastrophe modeling. By Levi Sumagaysay, Cal Matters CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. Photo: Firefighters battling a fire in Valley Center, one of the zip codes designated as “high-fire-risk,” where officials would encourage more policies to be written, 2010 file photo June 18, 2024 (Sacramento) — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveiled Wednesday an effort to force insurers to resume writing policies in high-fire-risk areas — part of an overall plan to address the state’s insurance crisis. It consists of three different ways insurers can meet minimum requirements for writing policies in areas deemed “high risk” or “very high risk” by the department, which aligns with Cal Fire’s identification of hazard zones. Insurance Department regulators said this hybrid approach takes into account the state’s complex geography as well as the different risk levels that big and small insurers can afford to assume. Lara said this should help homeowners who have lost coverage or been forced to turn to the last-resort FAIR Plan. Insurance companies would have these three options: Write 85% of their statewide market share in high-risk areas. The department explains it this way: “If a company writes 20 out of 100 homes statewide, it must write 17 out of 100 homes in a distressed area.” Achieve one-time 5% growth in the number of policies they write in high-risk areas. Expand their number of policies 5% by taking people out of the strained FAIR Plan, a pool of insurers the state requires to provide fire-insurance policies when property owners can’t obtain insurance elsewhere. Photo: 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego’s East County, courtesy of Cal Fire Insurers could meet these policy-writing quotas either at the county level or the ZIP code level. Specifically, they could apply the 85% or 5% option in counties regulators have identified as distressed, or in ZIP codes regulators have deemed “undermarketed” and high risk — meaning the ZIP codes have at least 15% of policies in the FAIR Plan and have a certain percentage of residents who can’t afford their premiums. Insurers who already meet the 85% threshold would be required to maintain that for at least three years after a rate application. Or they can choose the third option, reducing policies in the FAIR Plan statewide. Regulators will update these areas at least once a year. Gov. Gavin Newsom hailed Lara’s announcement as “critical” to fixing the state’s insurance crisis. “As the climate crisis has rapidly intensified, the insurance system hasn’t been seriously reformed in 30 years – this is part of our strategy to strengthen our marketplace and get folks the coverage they need,” the governor said in a statement. A growing number of property insurers have paused or stopped writing policies in California in recent years, citing increased fire risk and inflation. If today’s proposal works as intended, homeowners could eventually find it easier to buy insurance with adequate coverage, as opposed to the expensive fire-only policies that many recently have been forced to buy from the FAIR Plan. The proposed options aren’t technically requirements, because the state cannot legally require insurers to write either homeowner or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply because failure to do so would mean insurers would not be able to take advantage of something they’ve lobbied for long and hard: catastrophe modeling. Photo: 2007 Harris Fire, photo taken at Barrett Junction by Miriam Raftery Lara unveiled the first part of his plan to allow for catastrophe modeling in March; this is the second part of that plan. Catastrophe modeling takes into account historical data and combines that with projected risk and losses — something insurers have been able to do in every other U.S. state but California. Insurers will be able to use it here once Lara’s overall plan takes effect as promised at the end of the year. Today’s announcement made clear what the companies will have to do in return. “Insurance companies need to commit to writing more policies and my department will need to verify those commitments and hold them accountable,” Lara told reporters this morning. When they submit rate reviews, insurers will state which of the pathways they choose. If they don’t fulfill the requirements of that pathway, “my department will use its law enforcement authority and reconsider rate reviews,” the commissioner said. That means possible lowering of rates and even refunds, according to his staff. Lara’s staff said they established the requirements for minimum coverage in distressed areas after talking with different stakeholders, including insurance companies that said the requirements were achievable. But the draft regulations also include a possible out for insurers, who would be able to request “alternative commitments” because of changes in their size or scope of coverage, or the “frequency or severity of recent events” affecting them. The draft regulation would give insurance companies two years after a rate filing to comply with the quasi-requirements — time regulators said the companies need to be able to write those policies. “We expect them to get started right away, but recognize they just can’t flip a switch,” said Michael Soller, deputy commissioner and spokesperson for the Insurance Department. But Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber said in a statement that she sees those two years as a loophole that “lets insurance companies off the hook if they fail to meet their commitments.” Meanwhile, she said, consumers would have been paying higher premiums. “The rest of the plan will still mean quick, massive rate hikes,” she told CalMatters. One insurance industry group, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, did not address any specifics of the plan released
READER’S EDITORIAL: A BIPARTISAN WILDFIRE PREVENTION PLAN THAT’S COST EFFECTIVE
An open letter to California and Oregon elected officials from the husband of a woman killed by wildfire smoke toxins Photo and editorial by Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret., Founder and Executive Director, Wild Horse Fire Brigade Photo: This family of wild horses in Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) cost-effectively manages a large area of reduced wildfire fuels year-round in a manner that has many environmental and ecological benefits to the forest. Horse grazing in the CSNM was instrumental in helping CALFIRE’s suppression of the 2018 Klamathon Fire, which threatened to destroy Ashland, Oregon. Unlike ruminant grazers (cattle, sheep, goats and deer) that digest seeds of native plants and grasses, ending their life-cycles, horses pass a majority of seeds they consume in their dung, which completes the life-cycles of the flora, and benefits all of the fauna in the ecosystem, including pollinators. June 17, 2024 — Wildfire is arguably the most serious bi-partisan issue we all face. The fire and toxins in the smoke kill indiscriminately, and do so across county, district and state lines, without mercy. A new report out now proves the toxins in the smoke from wildfire AND prescribed fires are killing thousands of people! “Pollution from California wildfires is estimated to have claimed more than 52,000 lives over about a decade, according to a new study published in Science Advances. Oregon is also suffering similar per-capita deaths from toxins in smoke. The study led by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles focused on emissions of PM2.5 – fine particulate matter that can travel deep into the respiratory tract – from 2008 to 2018. Researchers found that the particulate matter released by fires had a more profound impact on some communities than the actual flames themselves. The group’s findings revealed that at least 52,000 premature deaths were attributed to the pollution, with associated economic costs estimated to be about $432 billion. My wife was killed by smoke toxins from the Klamathon Fire of 2018, so I am acutely aware of how deadly the novel toxins in wildfire smoke are. Here is an except from her death certificate. Photo: Certificate by the Oregon Medical Examiner On June 12th, 2024, ABC News KOLO in Reno NV produced a news report explaining how we can cost-effectively reduce wildfire and toxic smoke: https://www.kolotv.com/2024/06/13/could-wild-horses-help-prevent-wildfires-one-non-profit-is-making-it-happen/ How many more people must die? How many more $-billions will Oregon and California taxpayers have to fund to fight a losing battle before we implement a proven solution that provides prevention and mitigation of wildfires and toxic smoke? There’s Good News! There is a scientifically supported (See Refs below), empirically proven, cost-effective solution for preventing and also reducing the frequency, size and intensity of wildfires! and cost-effective use of the 68,000 wild horses currently being held in taxpayer funded off-range holding facilities. Implementation of large herbivores (excess wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management) to engage in wildfire grazing in remote wilderness areas where wildfire management is more difficult and costly, is a smart It’s a scientific fact that by controlling the grass and brush on the landscape, which data shows are key fuels in over 60% of all wildfires, we can prevent many fires from taking hold, and also reduce the frequency, size and intensity of wildfires, which in turn provides many secondary benefits: Less smoke and premature deaths and related $-billions in economic impacts; and, Preservation of forests and wildlife habitat; and, Reduced post-wildlife erosion and damage to fisheries and watersheds; and, More carbon sequestered through return of vegetative material into soils via dung, and via re-seeding-re-growth of plants and grasses, resulting in reduced carbon release; and, Cover crops reseeded/maintained by horses (via dung) reduce soil erosion, enhance ground water retention and percolation of precipitation and snow melt. Horse droppings containing un-digested seeds also effectively reseed and condition fire-scarred landscapes/soils with seeds from neighboring native plants and grasses, and add humus and microbiome to fire-pasteurized soils; and, Reseeded plants and grasses from horse dung benefits other herbivores such as deer and elk, as well as small mammals and insects (pollinators); and, Horses make trees fire resilient by removal of fire ladders (dead limbs are broken-off via scratching of horses), grazing fuels under trees, and fertilizing the trees they use for shelter. William E. Simpson II is an ethologist living among and studying free-roaming native species American wild horses. William is the award-winning producer of the micro-documentary film ‘Wild Horses‘. He is the author of a new study about the behavioral ecology of wild horses, two published books and more than 500 published articles on subjects related to wild horses, wildlife, wildfire, and public land (forest) management. He has appeared on NBC NEWS, ABC NEWS, CBS NEWS, and has been a guest on numerous talk radio. Check out his Film Freeway account for films, studies, TV & radio interviews, and more here: https://filmfreeway.com/WilliamESimpsonII —————————— The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.