Sacramento was abuzz today. I wish I could say it was about the Assembly Health Committee holding its first hearing on health reform, listening to presentations about the proposals by Speaker Nunez, Senate President Pro Tem Perata, and Governor Schwarzenegger. (Hanh will provide a full report here later today; Next week, they will hear Senator Kuehl's single-payer proposal.)
But the talk of the town was that the Capitol was circled today by some of the best cyclists in the world, as part of the
Tour of California. The finish line for today's stage was just outside our offices here at 11th and L in Sacramento. As a regular watcher of the Tour De France, I was excited to see the preparation and the energy of the crowd, and to get a glimpse of these racers going at incredible speeds.
As much of a fan that I am, it's still a little bit jarring to see
the the Capitol surrounded by the logos of drug and insurance companies like AmGen and HealthNet, major sponsors of the Tour. Like the Sacramento crowd that was loud and proud, we'll need to make sure that the voice of consumers doesn't get drowned out by these industry interests in the health care debate ahead.
