All Undocumented Immigrants Now Qualify For Medi-Cal In California

ABC News: California Becomes First State To Offer Health Insurance To All Undocumented Immigrants 
California will welcome the new year by becoming the first state to offer health insurance for all undocumented immigrants. Starting Jan. 1, all undocumented immigrants, regardless of age, will qualify for Medi-Cal, California's version of the federal Medicaid program for people with low incomes. Previously, undocumented immigrants were not qualified to receive comprehensive health insurance but were allowed to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services under Medi-Cal as long as they met eligibility requirements, including income limits and California residency in 2014. (Kekatos, 12/29)

KFF Health News: States Expand Health Coverage For Immigrants As GOP Hits Biden Over Border Crossings 
A growing number of states are opening taxpayer-funded health insurance programs to immigrants, including those living in the U.S. without authorization, even as Republicans assail President Joe Biden over a dramatic increase in illegal crossings of the southern border. Eleven states and Washington, D.C., together provide full health insurance coverage to more than 1 million low-income immigrants regardless of their legal status, according to state data compiled by KFF Health News. Most aren’t authorized to live in the U.S., state officials say. (Galewitz, 12/28)

On nursing homes, abortion, mental health, marijuana, housing, and more —

CalMatters: Nursing Homes Must Disclose More Info Under New CA Law
Threat of eviction is one of the biggest problems facing California’s nursing home residents. Residents often don’t even know why they’re being forcibly discharged. A new state law taking effect today seeks to rectify this with a simple change: nursing homes are now required to offer residents copies of any information that explains why they’re being evicted. (Wiener, 1/1)

CBS News: New 2024 California Laws Remove "Retarded" And "Addict" From Official Terminology
Two bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this year will remove outdated terminology in state law language for certain classes of people beginning in January. Assembly Bill 248, also known as the Dignity for All Act, removes the words and phrases "mentally retarded persons," "mentally retarded children," "retardation" and "handicap" from existing laws to eliminate "obsolete terminology," as per the bill's text. Instead, terms like "individuals with disabilities" or "individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities" will be used. (12/30)

CalMatters: New California Law Bans Surprise Ambulance Bills In 2024 
A new California law bans surprise ambulance bills beginning Jan. 1, 2024. They’re out-of-network charges to insured households after emergency calls. (Hwang, 12/27)

AP: A Tax Increase, LGBTQ+ Youth Protections And More Sick Leave Highlight California's New Laws In 2024 
Doctors in California who mail abortion pills to patients in other states will be protected from prosecution. Workers will receive more paid sick leave on the heels of a big year for labor. And companies can’t fire employees for using marijuana outside of work. These are among the hundreds of laws that take effect Jan. 1 in the nation’s most populous state. Each year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs hundreds of laws passed by the state Legislature. Most take effect Jan. 1 the following year. But sometimes lawmakers will delay a law’s effective date for a variety of reasons, including giving people more time to prepare for the new rules. (Austin, Nguyen and Beam, 12/29)

The Mercury News: California Youth, And Their Parents, Can Access Free Mental Health App
The new year is bringing new mental health resources to California’s youth, right on their phones. Two new apps — available to state residents on Jan. 1 — will provide free resources, including one-on-one coaching support via in-app chat, call or video; a place to chat with peers; various wellness exercises; and information about local behavioral health resources or crisis services. Users will find “age-tailored” educational content, such as videos, games and podcasts, according to California’s Department of Health Care Services. (Schallhorn, 1/1)

CalMatters: New California Housing Laws Go Into Effect In 2024
Among the batch of fresh housing laws are an especially high profile set by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener: Senate Bill 423 re-ups and expands a law that speeds up the approval of apartment buildings in which some units are set aside for lower income Californians, while SB 4 does something similar for affordable housing on property owned by religious institutions and non-profit colleges. Wiener’s two new laws set the tone of housing legislation in 2023, where ripping out barriers and boosting incentives for housing construction emerged as the dominant theme.  (Christopher, 1/1)

On gun control —

The New York Times: Appeals Court Allows California Ban On Guns In Most Public Places To Take Effect 
A federal appeals court on Saturday allowed California’s ban on the carrying of firearms in most public places to take effect in 2024, halting a lower court judge’s ruling that had blocked enforcement of the law. The state law, Senate Bill 2, sets several restrictions on gun ownership, and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved it in September. But Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California blocked enforcement of the law in December, saying that the ban on guns in most public places would unconstitutionally “deprive” citizens of their right to bear arms. (Edmonds, 12/31)

Los Angeles Times: California Court Battle Over Gun Magazines Shows U.S. Divide 
Late last month, a coalition of 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia came together to support California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. In a brief filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where a challenge to California’s law is being considered, the coalition argued that California’s ban is “wholly consistent” with the 2nd Amendment and should be upheld as lawful. Late Thursday, 25 other states responded with their own brief arguing just the opposite. They said California’s ammunition ban was a threat to the 2nd Amendment and to individual gun owners’ right to self-defense, and should be overturned as unconstitutional. (Rector, 12/31)