Sacramento Programs Aim To Help Unhoused Veterans

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, November 11, 2024…

• On this Veterans Day, a reminder that thousands of veterans, young and old, are homeless in our state. But in Sacramento and surrounding communities, the numbers of homeless vets has noticeably dropped over the past couple of years.  
• The California Air Resources Board is moving ahead with changes to toughen the state’s low carbon fuel standard. Regulators voted to approve the controversial amendments late Friday.
• As the Southern California Kaiser mental health worker strike enters its fourth week, some patients are turning to social media to show their support.

Number Of Homeless Vets Drops In Sacramento County, But Total Remains Stubbornly High

The number of homeless veterans in Sacramento County dropped this year by 15% compared with 2022, following several years of significant increases.

Advocates said the Sacramento region’s greater focus on treatment and housing services led to this year’s drop. The most recent homeless count found 548 veterans living on the county’s streets, riverbanks and in shelters. That’s down from 645 two years ago. Even so, the number of homeless vets in the region has remained stubbornly high for years. In 2009, for example, the total was 426. Then it dropped for a few years, before spiking to 667 in 2019, according to the region’s homeless surveys.

Tanya Tabon is the homeless program manager for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She said the VA has boosted its housing and drug treatment services in recent years, actions that led to the modest drop in homeless vets. “We still have a ways to go, I mean, no doubt. Especially in the Sacramento area,” Tabon said. Perhaps the greatest need, she added, is for people who can reach out and truly connect with veterans on the streets. “I definitely feel like more outreach is needed,” Tabon said. “I mean, we need an army of folks to tackle the problem.”

California Air Regulators Approve Changes To Climate Program That Could Raise Gas Prices

California air regulators voted to approve changes to a key climate program aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions that has a wide swath of critics and could increase gas prices statewide.

The California Air Resources Board voted to make significant updates to the low carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, which requires the state to reduce the environmental impact of gas and other transportation fuels by incentivizing producers to cut emissions.

The plan approved late Friday at the end of a 12-hour meeting will increase the state’s emission reduction targets and fund charging infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. It also will phase out incentives for capturing methane emissions from dairy farms to turn into fuel.

Environmental groups have criticized the program for stimulating the production of biofuels, which are derived from sources including plants and animal waste, when they say the state should focus more on supporting power for electric vehicles. They argue the proposal fails to adequately address those concerns. The oil industry, state lawmakers and others have said the agency hasn’t been transparent about how the proposed updates could increase gas prices.

Are Behavioral Health Patients Getting Sufficient Care During The Kaiser Strike?

Nearly 2,400 Kaiser mental health workers are heading into the fourth week of an ongoing strike with little to no progress made at the bargaining table.

What’s more, the National Union of Healthcare Workers and Kaiser disagree on whether patients are getting the proper care as the work stoppage rolls on.

The union said it’s concerned that Kaiser’s plan for patient care during the strike isn’t good enough. But in a statement to LAist, Kaiser Permanente said its plan was “working well.”