April 25, 2023

How Press Access Changed with Governors | Bill Addresses Adoptee’s Right to Original Birth Certificate | UC Davis ‘Pay What You Can’ Food Truck

1 hour

How press access to governors in California has changed throughout the years. Legislation addresses an adult adoptee’s right to accessing their own original birth certificate. To combat food insecurity, UC Davis launches a “first-in-the-nation” food truck, where students pay what they can afford.

Press access changes

Weekly press briefings at the Capitol are, for the most part, a thing of the past. These days, journalists covering the goings-on at the Capitol are often directed to send an email or leave a voicemail to get their questions answered - and that’s if they even get a response back. The COVID pandemic has been a game-changer for the Capitol press corps, but access to the governor, legislators and state agencies has become an increasingly difficult job over the years, including the advent of and reliance on social media. Joining Insight on this topic are two journalists, CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff and retired journalist and former Capitol correspondent Dan Morain. They discuss the challenges facing journalists covering state government today, how the job has changed over the years and where it is headed in the future.

Bill addressing original birth certificates

Many of us have unrestricted access to our birth certificate. But that’s not necessarily the case for people who are adopted. Their legal rights can vary greatly from one state to the next. At the center of the issue is a birth parent's right to conceal their identity, if they choose. But there is also the right of an adoptee to access their own medical record to learn their origins and family health history. Roughly a dozen states allow an adult adoptee unrestricted access to their original birth certificate. But that isn’t the case in California, which is criticized as being the most restrictive state in the country. Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), an adopted parent himself, authored Assembly Bill 1302 to make it easier for an adoptee to access their original birth certificate. But in the bill’s analysis several adoptee rights organizations oppose the bill, arguing it would make the legal process more difficult. Insight took time to better understand the debate through the lived experiences of adoptees. Lance Hastings is an adoptee who testified in support of AB 1032. Insight is also joined by Gregory Luce, an adoptee, attorney, and founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center, one of the organizations in opposition to AB 1302.

Pay what you can food truck

Food insecurity among college students has been well documented. With tuition and fees climbing, students don’t always have the means to feed themselves a healthy meal. Now, a first-of-its-kind approach to helping college students get a nutritional meal has launched on the campus of UC Davis. And here’s the hook, students don’t even have to pay; or they can just pay as much as they can. Joining Insight to talk about this new approach to addressing food insecurity are Leslie Kemp, director of the UC Davis Basic Needs Initiative and Aggie Compass and Jesus “Sal” Ramirez, the project’s chef who says he knows what it is like to be food insecure.

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