It's Wednesday. Diana Ramos, who previously worked for the state health department, became California's surgeon general last month. Plus, inflation relief payments are being mailed out this week. |
 | | Gavin Newsom at his swearing-in ceremony. He announced that he would create the role of state surgeon general on his first day in office.Jim Wilson/The New York Times |
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California has a new top doctor. |
On Gov. Gavin Newsom's first day in office in January 2019, he announced that he was creating the position of state surgeon general, which exists in only a few other states. California's head physician would advise the governor, be a statewide health spokesperson and help "solve our most pressing health challenges with surgical focus," Newsom said in his executive order. |
This September, Diana Ramos, an OB-GYN and an adjunct professor at U.S.C.'s Keck School of Medicine, became California's second surgeon general. She previously worked in the state and Los Angeles County public health departments. |
Ramos, 55, replaced Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician who served for three years before resigning in February. I recently spoke to Ramos, who told me she wanted to build on Burke Harris's work on children's health and toxic stress and to expand the state's focus on reproductive health and mental health. |
"You can't ignore in California the rates of anxiety and depression that have skyrocketed in our youth," Ramos told me. |
She said that she wanted to find better ways to connect youth with mental health care, and that she would promote and help roll out the state's $4.4 billion Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. The five-year effort, which began in 2021, places greater focus on prevention and early intervention, with an eye toward increasing the mental health work force and improving access for low-income residents and non-English speakers. |
Ramos said that growing up in South Central Los Angeles made her well aware of how problems in a community — such as food insecurity, domestic violence and shootings — could be major public health problems. She said she hoped her background could help her address some of these issues, though she's still in the early stages of figuring out how to do so. |
She sees her new role as being a "voice for health" who can help connect people to public services and provide trusted medical information to Californians, she said, particularly as so much Covid misinformation circulates. |
"Every state has an attorney general," she said. "Every state. Why don't they have a surgeon general? Having a state surgeon general in my view, that codifies the importance of health." |
Ramos, who now lives in Laguna Beach, told me she was proud to be the state's second surgeon general, especially as a Latina. "To hear medical students say, You're an inspiration because I now know that women can go far, especially Latina women, that's been very powerful for me." |
She is beginning her tenure with a listening tour to hear about Californians' struggles accessing health care or about issues in their neighborhoods that may be affecting public health. Her office set up an email address where you can share your experiences: DoctoraDiana@osg.ca.gov. |
 | | Allan Fung, a Republican congressional candidate in Rhode Island, at a campaign event on Monday.Philip Keith for The New York Times |
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If you read one story, make it this |
 | | The Restoration Hardware restaurants are as meticulously designed as the showrooms.Karsten Moran for The New York Times |
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- Abuse case: A jury ordered Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to pay $45 million to the family of autistic twins who were physically abused by an aide at their elementary school, The Associated Press reports.
- Homelessness: The Times opinion writer Ezra Klein published a new column: "The way Los Angeles is trying to solve homelessness is 'absolutely insane.'"
- Harvey Weinstein: A prosecutor at the movie mogul's sexual assault trial in Los Angeles told jurors Tuesday that the accusers who will testify will tell uncannily similar stories of themselves as young aspiring women who were cornered in hotel rooms by Weinstein, The Associated Press reports.
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- Earthquake: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
- Murder trial: Jarvis Jay Masters is once again trying to clear his name in the case of the murder of Sgt. Hal Burchfield that occurred over 30 years ago, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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 | | Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
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Today's tip comes from Will Ackerman: |
"As someone who has been in a lot of places on many continents, I don't think there's a more incredible road in the world than U.S. Route 395 from Reno to Lone Pine, Calif. I grew up in California and now live in Vermont, but return to Mt. Whitney religiously — a touchstone in my life." |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
Are you being flooded with text messages from congressional candidates or groups trying to sway your vote on ballot initiatives? Have you tried to opt out of receiving these texts? |
 | | Savanna Sturkie |
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And before you go, some good news |
During her senior year at N.Y.U., Gabrielle Elizabeth Garcia was assigned to read a New York Times Modern Love column for a psychology class. |
Garcia, who is from Santa Clarita, enjoyed the essay so much that she looked up the author, Joel Cullen Walkowski, and reached out to him via Facebook. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Steven Moity contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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