The Savers Weekly

Week of October 11 – 17, 2026

Hey — here’s what happened this week that actually affects you, plus a few things you shouldn’t miss.

This week’s top stories

1. Newsom’s Health Insurance Tax: Your Family Pays $400 More While $12.4 Billion Went to Illegal Immigrant Healthcare

The Associated Press put the number at $12.4 billion: what California spent in 2025 on healthcare for illegal immigrants. Now Sacramento wants working families to plug the Medi-Cal hole — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redesigned health-plan tax could add $400 a year to family premiums starting in 2027, if Washington approves it. The doctors AND the insurance companies are suing together to stop it — they almost never agree on anything. Read more →

WHAT THEY’RE NOT TELLING YOU: $12.4 billion in free healthcare for people here illegally blew the hole — and the “fix” taxes the citizens who pay their own way. When your doctor and your insurer join the same lawsuit, the tax isn’t about healthcare. It’s about the bill.

2. Newsom’s Slavery Disclosure Law: California Companies Must Dig Through 175 Years of History — Under Penalty of Perjury

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2599 (the Truth in Disclosure Act) on Sept 30: any company with $100M+ in worldwide receipts that existed before Dec 31, 1964 must investigate and publicly disclose slavery-era ties — under sworn affidavit, penalty of perjury. It pays nobody a dollar, doesn’t start until the legislature funds it, and first filings aren’t due until January 15, 2029. Reparations activists still called it “a big important victory” — step one toward future claims. Read more →

WHAT THEY’RE NOT TELLING YOU: A perjury trap for companies, a gold rush for compliance consultants — and zero dollars to any person, ever. The state gets a shakedown pipeline; the people the activists claim to speak for get press conferences.

California watch: pay & new laws

• Marin IHSS wages climb to $21: Marin County supervisors approved a 3-year contract this week raising caregiver pay from $18 to $21/hour by Jan 1, 2027, plus one-time incentive payments. Advocates wanted $26 and say shortages persist; about 2,000 local workers are represented by SEIU Local 2015. Marin Independent Journal
• IHSS timesheets switch to one-time passcodes starting Oct 24: CDSS emailed users Oct 14 — the Electronic Services Portal moves to one-time passcode login (email, text, or voice call; each code expires in 10 minutes). If your county doesn’t have your current contact info, you’ll be locked out of timesheets. IHSS Service Desk: (866) 376-7066. IHSS Connect
• $19.75 minimum wage for farmworkers starts Jan 1, 2027: AB 2646 sets a $19.75 floor for H-2A seasonal agricultural workers and California residents doing the same work for the same employer — $2.85 above the $16.90 state minimum, with annual adjustments. Law Commentary
• New protections for utility workers: Newsom signed SB 1330 after a surge in assaults on utility crews, backed by a coalition of electrical workers, AFSCME, and utility employee groups. EIN Presswire

Free help: don’t leave money on the table

Your health premiums are going up — Sacramento’s math says $400 a year for a family, on top of this year’s increases. If that stings, you’re probably overpaying somewhere else too: car insurance, renters insurance, or a plan that keeps denying what you need. And if anyone owes you wages or you got hurt and never filed, that money is sitting on the table. It’s free to talk to us, takes two minutes, and there’s nothing to sign up for.

Find free legal or insurance help →

App spotlight

Tegula Stone

Got a project at home — or need the work? Tegula Stone is the free marketplace where California homeowners post repairs and renovations and independent pros pick up local jobs. Homeowners pay nothing; pros pay nothing through January 2027. Find pros or jobs free →

The Care Royal

Families who need a caregiver and caregivers who need work meet directly — free signup on both sides, no commissions, no middleman taking a cut of your hours. IHSS caregivers: this is your backup pipeline. Sign up free →

Your Pup’s Bestie

Dog walking, boarding, and daycare in Los Angeles — your dog stays in a real home with a big backyard, not a kennel, with photo updates through the day. First booking gets 15% off with code FurryFun15. Book a stay →

Don’t miss out

• Covered California Open Enrollment: Nov 1 – Jan 31 (enroll by Dec 31 for Jan 1 coverage). Renewal shopping is open NOW — premiums are up ~9.9% and enhanced federal credits expired, so don’t auto-renew blind. Free help: 1-800-300-1506. Enrollment guide
• Downey Job Fest — Thu Oct 22, 10am–2pm, Stonewood Center parking lot, Downey. Free hiring fair from the LA County Office of Education’s GAIN Division, right as stores and warehouses lock in holiday crews. Resume help on site. Details
• LA Veteran Job Fair — Tue Oct 20, 11am–3pm PT. Free registration, scheduled interviews with employers hiring veterans — hospitality, field account management and more. Register free
• Statewide strike Wednesday, Oct 21 — expect delays: 100,000 SEIU Local 1000 state workers walk out (pickets 7am–3pm in Sacramento, Oakland, SF, Fresno, LA, Norwalk, San Bernardino, San Diego). DMV, unemployment, and disability offices will be slow or closed. Details

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