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California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday vetoed a controversial bill that would have allowed supervised injection site pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, in efforts to prevent drug overdose deaths and connect people to treatment for addiction. The number of safe injection sites that would have been authorized by the bill could have induced a “world of unintended consequences,” Newsom wrote in his veto message. (Wiley, 8/22)

Newsom’s decision against Senate Bill 57, announced just hours ahead of the legal deadline for a veto, will almost certainly be seen by supporters as a retreat from his commitment to progressive California policies. It is also likely to heighten speculation that his possible aspirations as a Democratic presidential candidate might have compelled him to row back support for an idea he was “very, very open” to when he ran for governor in 2018. (Hatch and Holden, 8/22)

In his veto letter, Newsom said the unlimited number of sites the legislation would have allowed could induce “unintended consequences,” mentioning “worsening drug consumption challenges.” He directed his Health and Human Services secretary and local officials to come back to the Legislature with detailed plans for a “truly limited pilot program.” (Moench, 8/22)

About 40,000 low-income adults living in the country illegally won’t lose their government-funded health insurance over the next year under a new policy announced Monday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. California already pays for the health care expenses of low-income adults 25 and younger, regardless of their immigration status. A new law scheduled to take effect in January 2024 would extend those benefits to cover all adults who, but for their immigration status, would qualify for the state’s Medicaid program. (Beam, 8/23)

“Nothing in this bill says that workers are able to use cannabis and come to the workplace high,” said California Employment Lawyers Association Legislative Counsel Mariko Yoshihara. “It simply allows a person to use cannabis off the job, like any other legal substance, without facing discrimination.” (Pak, 8/22)