The Grapevine: 2/9/23

Good morning. One of California's most powerful unions opposes dyslexia screening in schools, scammers cloning EBT cards steal millions from Los Angeles County's poorest residents, and the LA City Council votes to approve a controversial hydrogen plant. Here's what you need to know:

• The California Teachers Association, one of the state's most powerful unions, has continued to oppose efforts to introduce universal dyslexia screening in the state's schools, making the state just one of 10 without a measure that experts say "needs to happen." (https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2023/02/dyslexia-screening/)
• California regulators grilled state energy executives over a spike in gas prices this winter in a hearing over which the specter of California's 2000 energy crisis loomed large. (https://www.readthegrapevine.com/ca-regulators-grill-state-energy-executives-over-soaring-utility-bills/)
• Los Angeles County officials are struggling to crack down on the widespread theft of food stamps and other public assistance funds from the county's poorest residents by scammers. The scammers are cloning EBT cards, special debit cards sent to those receiving state assistance, in a fraud that cost over $19.6 million in stolen funds last year. (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-08/ebt-fraud-la-county)
• Oakland is the latest city to have its housing plan rejected by the state Department of Housing and Community Development. State authorities said the city, which is required by state law to add 26,000 new housing units over the next eight years, failed to assess potential housing sites and add lower-income units in wealthy areas. (https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/oakland-s-housing-element-fails-meet-state-17769219.php)
• The LA City Council voted unanimously to proceed with an $800 million plan to convert the city's largest gas power plant to use hydrogen, a move opposed by many environmental advocates, who expressed concerns about the unproven technology used by the plant and the potential health dangers of nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of hydrogen power generation. (https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-02-08/l-a-is-shutting-down-a-coastal-gas-plant-and-replacing-it-with-hydrogen)

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