From the proposed repeal of the ACA to calls in CA for Single Payer plans, Cal Poly Pomona's past and future of building rose floats, the latest in SoCal sports.
A picture of health in 2017: The year's top stories
There was no lack of health care policy news in 2017. Congress spent months attempting to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, many California lawmakers and regulators doubled down on healthcare in the Golden State. As Sacramento looked at the best ways to pay for medical care, Southern California counties reacted to disease outbreaks.
Washington tried repeal, Sacramento pushed back
The Trump administration and the Republican majority in Congress tried one method after another to unravel the Affordable Care Act. California pushed back against each of them in administrative offices, the legislature and the courts.
When the Trump administration stopped paying for certain out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans, Covered California added their cost to a premium surcharge for individual policies bought through the insurance exchange. While that raised premiums, it also guaranteed that the increased cost would be covered by higher federal premium subsidies, which rise along with premiums. When the federal Health and Human Services department cut its open enrollment advertising budget by 90 percent, California went big with $111 million to encourage people to sign up. The federal open enrollment period ended Dec. 15, but Covered California will let people enroll until the end of January. The state legislature codified the longer open enrollment into law for 2019 and beyond.
Of course, not every Californian is a fan of Obamacare. The state's House Republican representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a repeal effort in May. Those votes added fuel to the fire for organizers working to unseat them in coming elections.
Universal health care gained momentum
The state Senate approved a bill that would create a single-payer health care program in California. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon shelved it, calling the measure "woefully incomplete." An Assembly select committee met three times this fall to discuss models designed to achieve universal coverage, of which single payer is one. The repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate in the recently-passed federal tax bill may further energize grassroots organizers who continue to lobby in favor of universal care in California. The issue is expected to play a role in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
Drug transparency, not so fast
Governor Jerry Brown signed the most far-reaching prescription drug transparency law in the country in August. The law requires drug makers to disclose and justify price hikes of 16 percent or more over a two-year period. Lawmakers believe it will force down drug costs. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group that represents drug companies, is suing to block the law, arguing that it's unclear and an example of government overreach.
Use a condom
That's the main message from the state health department as the rates of sexually transmitted infections grew for the third year in a row. Transmission of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are on the rise in California. Meanwhile, UCLA researchers have created a genetic test to help find better treatment for antibiotic resistant strains of gonorrhea.
Hep A outbreak
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency after hundreds of cases of hepatitis A were found in San Diego and the outbreak spread, though in much smaller numbers, to Los Angeles. Cases of the disease are largely among California's growing homeless population. Health officials are fighting back with vaccination programs and the L.A. City Council is leveraging emergency funding for more public bathrooms.
What happens when a passenger boards the wrong plane?
An All Nippon Airways flight took off from LAX Tuesday, headed for Tokyo. But it was forced to return four hours into the flight after the airline realized a passenger had boarded the plane by mistake.
We probably wouldn't know anything about this if it weren't for supermodel Chrissy Teigen, who was on the flight, and tweeting about it. While the airline has released a statement saying it's looking into the matter, it got Take Two wondering: How could something like this even happen?
Los Angeles Times travel industry reporter Hugo Martin joined Take Two host A Martinez to explain.
How common is it for passengers to get on the wrong plane, and for the plane to then take off
It's pretty uncommon. The checks that the airlines do are pretty substantial. Most of the time, when something like this happens, it's the error of the passenger who booked the flight to the wrong city as opposed to the airline letting someone on the wrong plane. They have a few checks before you get on the plane.
What checkpoints passengers have to pass through before boarding
To get into the terminal, to get past TSA, you have to show your boarding pass. They won't let you in the terminal unless you have a boarding pass for that airline for that day. And then past the gate agent, you have to show a boarding pass that has usually a bar code or a QR code. They scan those before they let you on the plane. Usually you also check in early before you get to the gate agent to get onto the plane to show that you've arrived, so there's a couple different check points you've got to pass. When we're talking about an international flight, it's even more amazing this happened.
How airline ticket scanning machines work
If United doesn't fly to that airport and date, they sell you a ticket on their partner airline, and it's possible that's where the confusion happened. Say you want to fly on ANA and you book through United. That could cause the problems. You've got two booking systems, so it could be there was a glitch between the two. It's unclear so far, but that's another layer of complication added to this.
Policies for airplanes to return to the departing airport
I don't think there are laws, but airlines have become more cautious about security since 9-11. The shoe bomber, the underwear bomber. Planes will turn around because the coffee maker isn't working. They're super sensitive about any problem that could be a bigger problem. If it turned out to be a terrorist, the airline doesn't want to take that chance. We're talking a plane full of people that could be threatened by whoever this person is.
The price ANA could pay for allowing an unauthorized passenger
In something like this, when you buy a ticket, there's a contract that the airline says, 'for safety reasons we can do what we want.' They're not obligated to pay you back for this inconvenience, but most likely ANA will give people coupons and discounts just to patch up their public image on this.
Plans for new lab will soar Cal Poly Universities' 'Rose Float Project' to new heights
When Take Two went to visit Cal Poly Pomona's Rose Float Project, it was almost unrecognizable.
"It looks like a giant glob of yellow foam at the moment," said Jon de Leon, design chair for Cal Poly's Rose Float Project. "We recently got it foamed by a professional. That is so we can stab flowers into it."
On a warm day in early December, the float looked nothing like its artistic rendering. De Leon and his teams at both Cal Poly Pomona and San Louis Obispo were just getting started on the hard work for their schools' entry into the 2018 Pasadena Rose Parade.
"We have three young animals in cardboard planes," De Leon said, "flying in a sea of clouds, typically colored in pastel sunset colors."
A koala, an otter and a red panda are the visual backbone of the float's theme — "Dreams Take Flight." It's a school tradition that's been ongoing for almost 70 years, and this year is no exception.
Creating rose floats year after year is a big idea and a big task since the conditions the students and volunteers work in aren't ideal.
"Our current lab, it's been standing well over 50 years and it's not an enclosed space," said Cal Poly's Rose Float director, Janetta McDowell. "So, when it's raining, when it's really windy, when it's dusty from our surrounding area that we're in, we get all of those elements into our lab space."
At least there's a light at the end of this cold and windy tunnel. A brand new rose float lab will break ground in 2018 with lot of the money for the $3.7 million dollar project coming from proud alumni.
"There's no money coming from campus. It's essentially donations from alumni and supporters of Cal Poly Rose Float. "
The new facility will include an updated work bench, space for a forklift to travel the circumference of the lab, a secure location for the students' mechanical and welding tools, and an outdoor communal area to share meals and breaks.
But for students like Jon de Leon, it was never about the possible perks or promises of fancy facilities. It was about the work itself.
"I believe I'm going to be one of those alumni that keep coming back because I definitely love being here. I'm itching to be back this weekend because finals are killing me. I just want to be done and be back already."
De Leon is just one of the thousands of students who's taken part in the Cal Poly floats program, and with the new facility breaking ground next year, there are sure to be thousands more.
The Rose Bowl: Is the 'granddaddy of them all' still grand?
One of LA's oldest New Year's Day traditions is the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena. It started in 1902 to help pay the costs of the Rose Parade and it goes by a loving nickname: 'The Granddaddy of them all.'
In 1947, the Rose Bowl Game was set up in the way most people are used to seeing it. It pit the winner of the Big Ten Conference, teams such as Michigan or Ohio State, against a team from the Pac-12 such as USC or Washington.
But this year the game will be played by two teams from across the country -- the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.
Andy Kamenetzky on why a Pac-12 team is not involved in this year's Rose Bowl
"In 2014, when college football shifted from the old BCS format, which was basically a combination of voting and computer math determining who plays for the National Championship game, to a championship being determined by a playoff format featuring four teams. It was determined that every three years, the Rose Bowl would serve as one of the tournament games to determine the national champion and then alternate to a more traditional match-up.
"This year it is one of those tournament games. You'll be seeing No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia who have each played in the Rose Bowl only once."
Brian Kamenetzky on whether the Rose Bowl is still special when it's played between two teams that are not from the West Coast
"For college football, this is a massively important game this year. We're talking about a game that will help determine who the national champion will be. So, from a sports standpoint, it's a massively significant game.
"I do think from a local perspective, if you're a traditionalist, if you're used to seeing certain colors come through, if you're used to seeing USC have an opportunity to play or even the rare opportunity for UCLA to pop up in the Rose Bowl, it probably does seem at the very least a little strange. We're going to be seeing, over that weekend, some people who aren't normally here. So it will be very different looking at the Rose Parade and into the game this year than it normally is."