Nevada County’s State Senator wants a more collaborative response to the pandemic, as the new California Legislature began its first session on Monday. Brian Dahle says that includes more specifics on the worst sources of infections from the Governor’s Office…

And with the state having an unexpected budget surplus of 15-billion dollars, Dahle says he wants to see more spent on mental health services for students struggling social isolation from staying home so much, as well as a lot of domestic strife…

Dahle says another major concern is overhauling the Employment Development Department, which continues to struggle handling the deluge of claims, and has also processed millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. Another priority is finding better and cheaper access to wildfire insurance.