Posts Tagged ‘phd’
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Our Senator Leland Yee, Ph.D. is today calling for support for his Clean Needle Bill, SB 1029. It would permit all California pharmacists to sell up to 30 sterile syringes to drug users aged 18 and over. Why? To prevent the spread of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases that live in used syringes.
All the deets of today’s presser with Mark Cloutier, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Barry Zevin, MD, a San Francisco primary care and HIV clinician, below.
Senator Yee, PhD:
Yee Introduces Clean Needle Bill. Legislation would allow pharmacies to sell sterile syringes to prevent spread of HIV & Hepatitis C
Today, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) was joined by doctors, pharmacists, and AIDS prevention advocates to introduce legislation that would allow pharmacies throughout California the discretion to sell up to 30 sterile syringes to an adult without a prescription.
California is one of only three states that still prohibit pharmacists from selling a syringe without a prescription. Most states amended their laws in light of evidence that criminalized access to sterile syringes led drug users to share used ones, and that sharing syringes spread HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases that can live in a used syringe.
“This is an effective public health measure which is proven to reduce health care costs to taxpayers,” said Yee. “It’s a moral, as well as fiscal imperative.”
“Access to sterile syringes is a vital component of a comprehensive strategy to combat HIV and hepatitis,” said Yee. “This approach has been evaluated extensively throughout the world and has been found to significantly reduce rates of HIV and hepatitis without contributing to any increase in drug use, drug injection, crime or unsafe discard of syringes.”
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) signed legislation in 2004 to create a five-year pilot to evaluate the safety and efficacy of allowing adults to purchase and possess a limited number of syringes for personal use. Under the pilot program pharmacies in Los Angeles County, the Bay Area and some other parts of the state have been allowed to sell syringes.
Yee’s SB 1029 would remove the sunset and allow all pharmacists throughout the state with the discretion to sell sterile syringes without a prescription.
Sharing of used syringes is the most common cause of new hepatitis C infections in California and the second most common cause of HIV infections. The state Department of Public Health estimates that approximately 3,000 California residents contract hepatitis C through syringe sharing every year and another 750 cases of HIV are caused by syringe sharing.
These diseases are costly and potentially deadly. Hospitalizations for hepatitis B and hepatitis C cost the state $2 billion in 2007, according to a report by the California Research Bureau. The lifetime cost of treating hepatitis C is approximately $100,000, unless a liver transplant is required, and then the cost exceeds $300,000 per surgery. The lifetime cost of treating HIV/AIDS is now estimated to exceed $600,000 per patient.
By comparison, a syringe costs about ten to fifteen cents retail. The bill requires no appropriation of state funds, because it allows adults to buy syringes at their own expense.
Among health policy researchers speaking in favor of SB 1029, Alex Kral, an epidemiologist who has supervised several studies of HIV prevention said, “In light of over 200 studies worldwide that establish improved syringe access means less disease with no downside, to continue a policy of making syringe sales illegal would amount to health policy malpractice.”
The 200 studies Kral referred to were reviewed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008. WHO concluded that the overwhelming scientific consensus showed improved syringe access reduced rates of HIV and hepatitis without contributing to drug use, crime or unsafe discard of syringes.
“There is not one credible study from anywhere in the world that refutes these findings,” Kral said.
Among the numerous studies cited was one published in the American Journal of Public Health from 2001 that compared US cities that allowed pharmacists to sell syringes to adults without a prescription and those that did not. The study found that the rate of HIV among drug injectors was twice as high in cities that forbid sale without a prescription than those cities that allowed pharmacists greater flexibility to provide syringes.
“This approach has been overwhelmingly supported by the health professions,” said Yee. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature, the Governor and the California Department of Public Health to craft the most efficient and cost-effective means of saving lives and public dollars by preventing HIV and hepatitis C.”
SB 1029 will be considered in committee in March.
Tags: 1029, a.i.d.s., AIDS, AIDS Foundation, B., Barry Zevin, bill, c, california, CEO, clean, counties, county, Department of Public Health., disease, dr. md. doctor, hep, hepatitus, hiv, illegal, leland yee, Mark Cloutier, MD, needles, pharmacist, pharmacy, phd, sacramento, San Francisco, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Mateo, sb, SB 1029, Senator, users, virus
Posted in government | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Oddly-named Meraki wants to WiFi up your K-12 school with a quickness, so all the kids can watch the Lady Gaga (coming December 13th, 2009!) and AutoTune the News without all those pesky wires about. See?
“Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, launched its “Wireless For Schools” program today, offering K-12 schools and districts a comprehensive 802.11n wireless LANat the price of $40 per student or less. The program enables schools to deploy a high-quality wireless network quickly, easily, and at less than half the cost of other solutions in the market. To qualify, schools must contact Meraki and make their purchases by December 22, 2009.”
Now that’s $40 per, but if you get some kind of E-rate rebate aka (Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries (USFSL) from Uncle Sucker, the Feds will kick in for 80% of the bill. I mean, they wanted to pay for the Bridge to Nowhere and they still want to pay for the bulk of the Chinatown subway – the Feds have all kinds of moola. So it’s time to get your fair share. You know…. for kids.
Meraki founders Hans Robertson and Sanjit Biswas want to Free the Net, or something:
“On Sanjit: Marc by Marc Jacobs army mélange jacket with zip-out vest ($528)[!] at Marc by Marc Jacobs. Cotton t-shirt and glasses, model’s own[!].” Photo by Bryan Davis.
All right, get cracking. One Call Does it All: (415) 632-5800
“Meraki Offers Wireless Networks to K-12 Schools for $40 Per Student or Less
Meraki’s “Wireless For Schools” makes it easy for schools to deploy a high-quality 802.11n wireless network across the campus
Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, launched its “Wireless For Schools” program today, offering K-12 schools and districts a comprehensive 802.11n wireless LAN at the price of $40 per student or less. The program enables schools to deploy a high-quality wireless network quickly, easily, and at less than half the cost of other solutions in the market. To qualify, schools must contact Meraki and make their purchases by December 22, 2009.
The Hard Sell, after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: 20, 2009, 802, 802.11, 802.11n, army, Bridge to Nowhere, Chinatown subway, cloud, cloud-based, December 22, elementary, feds, google, Hans Robertson, High, internet, jacket, Jacobs, John Bicket, Jr, junior, k-12, kindergarden, LAN, m.i.t., Marc, mélange, Meraki, MIT, october, phd, principal, San Francisco, Sanjit Biswas, school, schools, Stanfoo, stanford, student, teacher's, Uncle Sucker, unified, Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries, university, USFSL, wifi, wireless, Wireless For Schools
Posted in internet | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
The United States Supreme Court is still mulling over the friend of the court brief filed by Senator (and child psychologist) Leland Yee, the California Psychiatric Association, and the California Psychological Association - it’s all about minors and the regulation of violent video games.
The team behind the brief: A psychiatrist, psychologist/Senator and a lobbyist, that’s what it takes. As they appeared at a recent news conference at the State Building in San Francisco:
The video game industry is not amused, needless to say.
Read the friend of the court brief, after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: AMICUS, AMICUS CURIAE, association, brief, California Psychiatric, California Psychiatric Association, California Psychological Association, county san francisco, court, CURIAE, federal lawsuit, friend, games, leland yee, phd, psychiatrist, Psychological, psychologist, San Mateo, scotus, Senator, supreme court, United States, Video, violent
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Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
There was a good turnout at yesterday’s free pancake breakfast put on by Senator Leland Yee on Brotherhood Way yesterday. (I had spent the early morning “recycling” copper from some empty apartments in ParkMerced, so it was nice to have a little break.) Senator Yee talked about upcoming developments in Sacramento, including the May 30, 2009 deadline for getting proposed laws out of the Senate.
There were elected representatives like San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu and people from state agencies like CalTrans on hand as well. It was Democracy in Action. Read all about it.
Hungry constituents:
Catch up with your Senator here.
See you next year!
Tags: 2009, breakfast, brotherhood, california, CalTrans, carmen, chu, county, free, leland, leland yee, may 30, meeting, pancake, phd, San Francisco, San Mateo, senate, Senator, state, Supervisor, town hall, way, yee
Posted in politics | 1 Comment »
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
You know what makes you better than all those melon farmers out there? It’s the fact that you hang your hat every night in the City and County of San Francisco. That makes you special. To celebrate you, the California Academy of Sciences is offering free admission for you (and your neighbors). Just match up your zip code with the handy chart below, gather up the necessary proof of where you reside, and head on over to Golden Gate Park.
And the nice thing about this free admission program is that it probably won’t be as crowded as it sometimes gets on the third Wednesday of the month, when everyone gets in sans tariff.
Celebrated Missionites getting a little camera time in front of the green screen before entering the Cal Academy yesterday. Bide your time, your free day is coming:
Read the fine print. Click to expand:
Thanks, Bank of America.
Tags: 2009, 94102, 94104, 94105, 94107, 94108, 94109, 94111, 94112, 94114, 94115, 94116, 94117, 94118, 94121, 94122, 94123, 94124, 94127, 94129, 94130, 94131, 94132, 94133, 94134, 94158, academy, academy of science, academy of sciences, address, bank of america, Bayview, Bernal Heights 94110, calfiornia academy of science, california, California Academy of Sciences, castro, chinatown, code, cole valley, cow hollow, Diamond Heights, downtown, dr., excelsior, farrington, Francis Wood, free, golden gate park, greg, haight, Hunter’s Point, id, Ingleside, Lakeshore, Laurel Heights, letter, marina, Miraloma Park, mission, Mission Bay 94103, museum, music concourse, neighborhood, neighborhood free days, Noe Valley, north beach, pacific heights, parkside, phd, piano, potrero, presidio, proof, renzo, richmond, russian hill, San Francisco, science, sciences, seacliff, SF, soma, spring, st., stonestown, sunset, telegraph hill, tenderloin, treasure island, Visitacion Valley, wachovia wednesdays, western addition, zip
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Monday, April 6th, 2009
Senator Leland Yee has just proposed Senate Bill 782, which would prevent landlords from evicting domestic violence victims for causing a “nuisance.” Here’s what today’s press conference at City Hall looked like:
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, Senator Leland Yee, Emily Murase, Executive Director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu. Also on hand was Jessica Dayton of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence:
Click to expand
Senator Yee’s bill is modeled after a new San Francisco ordinance promoted by Supervisor Chu and Kamala Harris last year and unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors in February. The presence today of Kelenia Olsen from the office of Assemblymember Fiona Ma and Noriko Shinzato from the office of Assemblymember Tom Ammiano indicates this bill should get a lot of support from the bay area delegation in Sacramento.
But the question of the day is whether statewide homeowners groups will oppose this law due to what they might perceive as a diminuation of property rights.
We’ll see…
Senator Yee Introduces Bill to Prevent Unfair Evictions of Domestic Violence Victims. San Francisco Ordinance Spurs Statewide Legislation to Protect Victims
Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) today announced legislation to prevent landlords from unfairly evicting domestic violence victims. Senate Bill 782 is modeled after a San Francisco ordinance authored by Supervisor Carmen Chu and sponsored by District Attorney Kamala Harris, which passed in February.
“It is unconscionable to force a domestic violence victim from their home,” said Yee. “Evicting a survivor of domestic violence not only results in being re-victimized, but unfairly strains a family attempting to recover. The possibility of eviction discourages women from coming forward to report incidents of domestic violence. If a victim wants to stay in his or her home, they should be allowed that opportunity and should not face added pressures of moving or possible homelessness.”
More deets after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: 782, california, carmen, carmen chu, chu, county, defense, Department on the Status of Women, District Attorney, domestic, emily, emily murase, evict, eviction, Executive Director, harris, Jessica Dayton, kamala, Kamala Harris, leland, leland yee, murase, nuisance, Partnership to End Domestic Violence, phd, sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, sb 782, sb782, senate bill, senate bill 782, Senator, Supervisor, violence, Women, yee
Posted in politics | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
There was a jubilant mood this morning at the California Academy of Sciences‘ Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED) award ceremony this morn. Why’s that? Platinum, baby - that’s LEED’s highest possible rating. We knew about this last year - it’s never too late to celebrate, of course. But “Can Green Design be Good Design?” Hell yes, says the New Republic:
“Renzo Piano’s sublime California Academy of Sciences (CAS), one of last year’s most widely praised buildings and the winner of a platinum rating from the Leadership in Energy and Design standard system—the highest rating from the world’s leading eco-rating program. Piano is also, by the way, among the starriest of the starchitects.”
O.K. then. This morning’s mise-en-scene, the four-story rainforest dome to the left and the tower of the de Young Museum far off across the Music Concourse. Click to expand.
Jared Blumenfeld (not “Blumenthal“), Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment and interim General Manger of Recreation and Parks, explained the difficulty of attaining LEED Platinum status for those building large museums:
Mayor Gavin Newsom, don’t miss his bit today in the HuffPo: “Greening Buildings to Save Jobs“, pointing up to the famous Living Roof:
After Mayor Newsom briefly spoke of his grandfather, Arthur L. Menzies, former Supervisor of Plant Accessions at nearby Strybing Arboretum (aka San Francisco Botanical Garden), things got a little feisty. He emphatically stated that the CAS is the “envy of New York City.” O.K. then.
Comes now, Dr. Greg Farrington, Director of the Cal Academy:
He discussed a recent visit to Central Park, or as he called it, “Golden Gate Park East” and made reference to the American Museum of Natural History, which he envies for its subway access. (Dr. Farrington is actually “lusting after” the concept of a subway going to the CAS. Maybe someday…)
Dr. F went on to extol the Thursday evening nightLife program, which is targetted for those aged 21-35. He stated that Nightlife has won over fans on Facebook – for example, someone whose initial reaction was “how geeky can you get?” is now a huge fan.
He warned the audience members to be careful what they toss into the garbage at CAS. He jokingly suggested that former employees “now work at the de Young” after having gotten the boot for trash transgressions.
But he’s a big picture kind of guy, pointing out that CAS is attempting to answer two questions:
1. How did we get here?
2. How do we find a way to stay?
Fair enough.
We went from this, Renzo Piano’s original vision seven years ago…
…to this, the LEED platinum award (sadly comprised mostly of silicon and oxygen), one of just 119 in the world:
Look for it on display the next time you visit the CA Academy of Sciences.
See you there!
More deets after the jump. (more…)
Tags: academy, academy of science, academy of sciences, arboretum, architect, award, blumenfeld, building, calfiornia academy of science, california, California Academy of Sciences, central park, ceremony, council, counsel, de Young, dr., farrington, gavin newsom, gold, golden gate park, green, green building, greenest, greg, jared, leadership, Leadership in Energy and Design, LEED, Mayor, museum, music concourse, new york, nyc, phd, piano, platinum, renzo, rivalry, San Francisco, science, sciences, SF, silver, strybing, United States, world
Posted in architecture, environment | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Over in Sacramento, San Mateo and San Francisco Counties’ very own Senator Leland Yee, PhD is still busy, busy, busy with new bills.
Senate Bill SB447 is no-brainer about reforming criminal background check policies for California youth organizations. It’s only a matter of time before this one becomes law. Read on below and after the jump.
Bill would Reform Criminal Background Check Policy for Youth Organizations
Yee’s legislation would help protect children in youth programs from predators, violent criminals
SACRAMENTO – Last week, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) introduced legislation to help protect children involved in youth organizations from sexual predators and other violent criminals. Senate Bill 447 would reform the criminal background check policy at the approximately 36,000 youth organizations and human resource agencies across the state that work with children and vulnerable populations.
Such organizations, including the Boy Scouts and youth soccer leagues, are currently required to conduct criminal background checks of their staff and members. Each group appoints a “Custodian of Records” to review the background checks for their organization and assess if a person’s criminal history poses a potential danger to the population the agency or organization serves.
However, there is a dangerous loophole in the law. The Custodian of Records also reviews his or her own criminal record that is sent to the group by the California Department of Justice (DOJ). This loophole may result in an individual who has been convicted of a violent crime or crimes against children serving as the Custodian of Records without others in the agency being aware of his/her criminal history.
“SB 447 will help protect children from predators and other violent criminals by closing an obvious loophole in the law,” said Yee. “Those determining who can work with children should not be reviewing their own records and determining if they are fit to serve. Parents deserve assurance that their kids are safe when they are dropped off at a soccer practice or scouts meeting.”
Specifically, SB 447 will close this loophole by creating a program in which the DOJ will review the criminal record information for Custodian of Records applicants and confirm if they are suited for the position. The DOJ will ensure that the people appointed to this position do not have a felony or any offense involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, or fraud. The program will be funded by a $30 fee for all Custodian of Records applicants.
In 1997, a student at Rio Linda High School was raped and murdered by a temporary janitor with a previous criminal record, including two strikes for voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery. At the time, another loophole in state law existed that did not require temporary or substitute employees to go through criminal background checks. The brutal murder of Michelle Montoya prompted the Legislature to change state law – banning the hiring of felons and requiring complete background checks of all school employees, including temporary and substitute workers.
“Unfortunately, it took the loss of an innocent life for the law to change regarding temporary school employees,” said Yee. “It is vital that we are proactive and close the loophole regarding Custodians of Records before we have another unnecessary tragedy.”
(more…)
Tags: 447, Background Check Policy, county, criminal, leland yee, Organizations, phd, Reform, sacramento, sacramneto, San Francisco, San Mateo, sb, sb447, senate, senate bill, Senator, youth
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Friday, February 27th, 2009
Over in Sacramento, San Mateo and San Francisco Counties’ very own Senator Leland Yee, PhD has been busy, busy, busy getting new bills in before deadline. SB 557 is today’s effort, below.
If we can get this into law, will this take some of the fight out of human traffickers in California? Doing a little stretch in the hoosegow is one thing, but losing a house or the rolling stock – well, that’s a whole ‘nother ball game.
The California Senate’s Assistant President pro Tempore:
Here’s the new bill:
Yee Introduces Bill to Seize Property of Criminals Convicted of Human Trafficking
Funds would be used to assist law enforcement and victims
Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) today introduced legislation to assist victims of human trafficking and support law enforcement by allowing courts to seize any personal property, such as house or automobile, of a person convicted of human trafficking.
“SB 557 will bring much-needed resources to help fight human trafficking, while also ensuring victims receive the services they need to recover from this horrific crime,” said Yee. Between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States each year and enslaved for purposes of sexual or labor exploitation, and unfortunately many of the cases occur here in California. Our state has led the way in combating human trafficking and exploitation, but we should not stop our efforts until all women, men, and children are free and safe from such an appalling offense.”
Under Yee’s legislation, funds accumulated from all property seized from those convicted of human trafficking will be split between funds to assist law enforcement in cracking down on the crime and funds dedicated to groups who work with victims.
Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the US Department of State. Victims are generally trafficked into the US from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many human trafficking victims do not understand English and are therefore isolated and often unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.
Research by the Human Rights Center at the University of California found 57 forced labor operations between 1998 and 2003 throughout California. These operations – mostly in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose – involved more than 500 victims from 18 countries.
The US Department of Justice recently announced that in the first 21 months of operation, the Human Trafficking Reporting System (HTRS) recorded information on more than 1,200 alleged incidents of human trafficking.
According to the Justice Department, over 90 percent of victims in both alleged and confirmed human trafficking incidents were female. Nearly 60 percent of victims in labor trafficking cases were female and almost all (99%) victims in sex trafficking cases were female.
Hispanic victims comprised the largest share (37 percent) of alleged sex trafficking victims and more than half (56 percent) of alleged labor trafficking victims. Asians made up 10 percent of alleged sex trafficking victims, compared to 31 percent of labor trafficking victims. Approximately two-thirds of victims in alleged human trafficking incidents were age 17 or younger (27 percent) or age 18 to 24 (38 percent). Sex trafficking victims tended to be younger (71 percent were under age 25) and labor trafficking victims tended to be older (almost 70 percent were age 25 or older).
Nearly eight in 10 human trafficking suspects were male. US citizens accounted for 66 percent of suspects in alleged incidents.
If you are a victim of trafficking or an organization needing assistance, please contact the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
In 2004, Senator Yee also passed legislation to combat human trafficking. Yee’s AB 3042 increased penalties to those who solicit children through prostitution.
Tags: 557, 888-373-7888, auto, bill, car, forfeit, house, human, leland yee, phd, property, prostitution, San Francisco, San Mateo, sb, sb 557, sb557, seized, seizure, senate, senate bill, slavery, trafficking, Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline
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