![(Photo by Aphiwat Chuangchoem via Pexels)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/person-holding-green-canabis-2178565.jpg?1577874531)
California Seeks to Revive Compassionate Cannabis Programs
When officials began taxing and regulating cannabis after voters approved it for recreational use, donations to compassionate cannabis programs fell sharply. Now the state is attempting to revive those services for low-income medicinal users.
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Shouldering the Burden
Progressive-minded farmers in the Capital Region undertake steps to battle and adapt to climate change
A growing movement of farmers is focused on agricultural practices that can mitigate or adapt to an uncertain future brought by climate change.
Part of this month’s Innovation issue
![A rural road in Penryn. (Photo by Vince Migliore via <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en">Wikimedia Commons</a>)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/rural_road_penryn_california_sierra_college_blvd._-_panoramio.jpeg?1577874531)
Insurance Carriers May Be Making Rural Health Care Worse
Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits, including less crime and a lower cost of living. But rural Americans also face disparity in health care, exacerbated in part by insurance carriers and the networks they put together for their consumers.
![(Photo by Matthew Keys)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1219_blog_mediafile_matthewkeys_lead.jpg?1577874530)
Media File: Show and Tell
Visit Sacramento’s podcasts aims to connect locals and tourists with unique experiences
In August, Visit Sacramento became the latest entrant in the podcasting craze with a six-episode series dedicated to the farm-to-fork movement that has ingrained itself into the identity of California’s capital city.
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The Transportation Revolution
How we get around is rapidly evolving, and more change is coming
Several public and private sector partnerships are helping to position the Capital Region as a leader in the new mobility revolution.
Part of this month’s Innovation issue
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1219_dept_sotm_terenceduffy.jpg?1577874530)
Startup of the Month: Advanced Farm Technologies
Robotic harvester lends hand to fruit-picking process
In California, where 90 percent of American strawberries are grown, the time is ripe for a faster, better way to pick them. That’s the idea behind Advanced Farm Technologies, a Davis-based startup that uses customized tools to lend farmers a helping robotic hand.
![(Pexels)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/blue-and-silver-stetoscope-40568.jpg?1577874530)
California Surprise-Billing Law Protects Patients But Aggravates Doctors
Physicians say the law’s constraints on what insurers now pay has given the companies an unfair advantage in negotiations with doctors, which is leading to major changes that may affect patients.
![Sierra Energy will begin testing its FastOx gasification at Fort Hunter Liggett, a U.S. Army base in Monterey County, in January 2020. (Photo courtesy of Sierra Energy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1219_feat_recycling_sierraenergy_lead.jpg?1577874530)
Recycling: Turning Trash Into Energy
FastOx gasification could be the solution to our recycling crisis
Every year, the United States generates around 260 million tons of trash. And no one knows what to do with it. No one, that is, except serial entrepreneur Mike Hart, the CEO of Davis-based Sierra Energy.
Part of this month’s Innovation issue
![The designs for the new I Street Bridge provide plentiful space for pedestrians to take advantage of the views of the two cities and the Sacramento River. (Design renderings by T.Y. Lin International Group)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/people_walking-thru-v1.jpg?1577874531)
New I Street Bridge Is Innovative — and Can Become a Tourist Draw
The neighboring cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento have the opportunity to create an iconic and innovative bridge crossing the Sacramento River.
![Dr. Moazzum Bajwa examines Cesilia Jimenez’s neck during a recent appointment at the Moreno Valley Community Health Center. (Photo by Elizabeth Aguilera for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/physician_shortage_solution_photo_1.jpg?1577874531)
California Tries to Boost Its Dwindling Doctor Supply
Students are being lured by full-ride scholarships to medical schools, and full-fledged doctors are being offered loan repayment programs to serve low-income residents or work in underserved areas.