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Late Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Health Committee voted decisively to move S.B. 562 to the floor of the Senate.  The Healthy California Act would establish a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system in the state, ensuring that all Californians have access to affordable healthcare.  The bill was proposed by Senator Toni Atkins and Senator Ricardo Lara as well as aided by the support of the California Nurses Association, physicians, and a coalition of progressive organizations.

Even as the Secretary of State and legislative leaders are championing legislation to make it easier for Californians to register and turn out to vote (for them), lawmakers don't seem to want Californians to be able to vote on ideas of their own.

A bill to increase the ballot initiative filing fee tenfold could pass the State Senate next week.

Multiplying the filing fee from the current $200 to $2000 would make proposing a ballot initiative in California more expensive than any other state.