Californians

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Sept. 28. I’m Karen Garcia, reporter for the Utility Journalism Team, which you were introduced to in yesterday’s newsletter. Today, I want to tell you about our mental health coverage.I’m the youngest of three kids and a daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. My family’s story is a common one — my parents wanted us to have what they didn’t. At times, my siblings and I feel the weight of not wanting to let our parents down while also finding…

Almost 2 million of California’s poorest and most medically fragile residents may have to switch health insurers as a result of a new strategy by the state to improve care in its Medicaid program.A first-ever statewide contracting competition to participate in the program, known as Medi-Cal, required commercial managed-care plans to rebid for their contracts and compete against others hoping to take those contracts away. The contracts will be revamped to require insurers to offer new benefits and meet stiffer benchmarks…

California's power grid is struggling to cope with the huge demand for air conditioning during an extreme heat. Californians were told Wednesday not to charge their electric vehicles, just days after the state said it would stop selling gas-powered cars, as the aging electricity grid struggles with a fearsome heatwave.…

More than 360,000 people left California in 2021, in what some are calling "The California Exodus" — many leaving for states like Texas, Arizona and Washington.And a rising number of former Californians are migrating out of the country altogether and are instead heading south of the border. Many are seeking a more relaxed and affordable lifestyle in Mexico.California continuously ranks high as one of the country's most expensive states to live in. The median asking price for a home in California is about $797,470 — only…