Covered California is offering a special enrollment opportunity for consumers who did not know or understand there was a tax penalty for being uninsured in 2014 or who learned they may face the tax penalty for 2015.

“For the first time, health care and taxes now are linked arm in arm,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “The law requires everyone to be insured, and if you’re not, you may face a significant financial penalty when you file your taxes this year.”

Until April 30, 2015, consumers are eligible to apply for health coverage during special enrollment by attesting that they did not realize there was a tax penalty.

To attest to this fact, they can select “Informed of Tax Penalty Risk” when filling out an application at CoveredCA.com.

The new tax penalty for being uninsured — known as the “shared responsibility payment” — motivated many consumers to purchase insurance this year during the November to February open-enrollment period via Covered California.

Unfortunately, many people who are supposed to purchase insurance may be unaware of the penalty and surprised when they go to their tax preparation professional for help.

“We don’t want anyone to feel blindsided by the shared responsibility payment,” Lee said. “That’s why we are establishing this limited-time, special-enrollment that builds on the broader availability of coverage for Californians who have a change of circumstance making them eligible outside of open enrollment.

“If you didn’t realize the tax consequences of not having insurance, you can enroll in a Covered California plan ... until April 30.”

The tax penalty aside, Californians who have a life-changing event — for example, having a baby, getting married, losing their health-care coverage because they have changed jobs or moving to another area — can qualify for a special-enrollment period through Covered California.

They can sign up for coverage as long as they do so within 60 days of the qualifying life event.

For the first time, consumers filing their taxes this year may be paying a penalty for not having health insurance. And the penalty for going without insurance in 2015 will go up significantly, nearly doubling.

During the final weeks of open enrollment, Covered California served consumers who literally went straight from their tax adviser to a certified enroller after learning they would lose hundreds of dollars because they were uninsured in 2014.

“We know this will continue throughout the upcoming weeks as more and more people do their taxes and discover how this new era of health care works,” Lee said.

“We don’t want there to be any surprises, and we want to make sure that everyone who is eligible gets covered.”

Consumers may enroll at CoveredCA.com and can find the nearest certified enrollment counselor or certified insurance agent to help them enroll. Consumers also can call the Covered California Service Center at 1-800-300-1506, where a representative will help them.

To get across the finish line for open enrollment, with coverage effective March 1, however, consumers cannot enroll without the help of an agent, a counselor or Covered California Service Center.

State Sen. Jeff Stone and the Murrieta Valley Chamber of Commerce invite the public to attend the grand opening ceremony for the senator's new Southwest office from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 12.

The office is located at 25186 Hancock Avenue, Suite 320, in Murrieta and serves residents of Southwest Riverside County.

"It is a truly an honor to represent the people of the 28th District," Stone said in a press release with the announcement. "We are doing everything possible to treat constituents as our top priority. I invite everyone to come by to say hello and meet our staff."

In addition to the Murrieta office and his office in Sacramento, Stone has an office in Indio to serve constituents in the Coachella Valley. A grand opening ceremony will be held at that office on March 19.

The ribbon cutting will be at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information call Field Representative Megan Locke at 951-894-3530 or email her at [email protected].

Last week, U.S. Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-CA 36) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO 2) announced the introduction of H.R. 1009 to target disaster relief funds to victims of wildfire so the communities are ensured they have access to the same resources as victims of other natural disasters.

The proposed legislation is slightly different than Ruiz’s bill H.R. 3992 in the 114th Congress.

“As the drought in California continues, our forestlands and surrounding communities are at an even greater risk of wildfire destruction,” said Ruiz. “This bipartisan, pragmatic bill takes critical steps to proactively provide firefighters with the resources necessary to protect communities in the aftermath of a wildfire, and help stop the next fire before it starts — to save lives, property and resources.”

Republican co-sponsors of the bill include Don Young of Alaska and Paul Cook of California and Yucca Valley. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

Under current law, victims of wildfires aren’t eligible for the “post-disaster” mitigation resources that victims of other natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornados, are. These resources can be used to mitigate the effects of wildfires, such as post-fire flooding and mudslides, and prevent future fires. Funds for these purposes has been shown to be particularly effective — it’s estimated that every dollar spent on mitigation saves $4 in future disaster costs.

Under this bill, states, tribes and local communities would be eligible to receive mitigation assistance grants for up to 15 percent of the total cost of fire suppression efforts regardless of whether a major disaster has been declared or not. This extra amount for mitigation is cost-shared on a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state/local basis.

“As a representative, nothing frustrates me more than when I tour the aftermath of a wildfire, see the ruins of houses in communities near Fort Collins and Boulder, and then find out that the federal government has refused to provide disaster relief because of a technicality,” said Polis. “This bill will ensure that those people or communities that have been devastated by wildfires will have access to the resources and relief that every other natural disaster victim can receive to rebuild their homes, towns and lives.”

“I congratulate representatives Ruiz, Polis and the bill’s other cosponsors for introducing this bipartisan legislation,” said Fire Chief G. Keith Bryant, International Association of Fire Chiefs president and board chair, in a press release. “This bill will help communities that recently had to deal with the tragedy of a wildland fire to mitigate the effects of flooding, mudslides and other disasters that could result after the fire. I urge Congress to move quickly to pass this legislation.”

The Wildfire Prevention Act of 2015 is supported by IAFC, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Association of Counties and the National Fire Protection Association.

The Hemet Unified School District is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the governing board from Area 3 in the Hemet area. Idyllwild, Mountain Center and Pine Cove all are in Area 1.

Trustee Dr. Lisa DeForest resigned Feb. 11. She was re-elected to the board in November 2012.

The period of service for this position will extend from the anticipated date of appointment, April 7, through the end of the current term — Dec. 2, 2016.

If interested, submit a Board Candidate Application available at www.hemetusd.org or at the district office at 1791 W. Acacia Ave. in Hemet. Interested candidates may contact the office of Superintendent Dr. Barry L. Kayrell at 951-765-5100, ext. 1001. Applications must be received at the Professional Development Service Center, 1791 W. Acacia Ave., Hemet, CA 92545, before 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 13. Applications received after that time will not be considered.

It is anticipated that eligible and qualified applicants will be interviewed at a meeting of the governing board on April 7 and the successful candidate will be appointed, sworn in and take seat at that time.

The ban on using plastic bags in California has a reprieve, at least until November 2016. Last week, officials for the state’s Secretary of State office confirmed that opponents of the plastic bag ban gathered enough signatures to secure a place on the November 2016 general election ballot for a referendum on the continued use of plastic bags.

Election officials confirmed that more than enough signatures were gathered to place the referendum on the future of the bags on the ballot so that state voters will decide the disposition of the bags.

The referendum now suspends the law, Senate Bill 270, passed this fall and that Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Sept. 30, 2014. SB 270 banned the bags from use in larger stores beginning in July 2015. In July 2016, the ban would extend to convenience food stores, food marts and entities engaged in the sale of a limited line of goods. These are all suspended until November 2016, when voters will approve or reject the bill.

Local ordinances that banned the plastic bags — such as in Palm Desert and Palm Springs — will not be affected by the 2016 referendum.

In order to qualify for the ballot, the ban on single-use plastic bags referendum needed 504,760 valid petition signatures, which is equal to 5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2010 gubernatorial election. A referendum can qualify via random sampling of petition signatures if the sampling projects a number of valid signatures greater than 110 percent of the required number. The plastic bag ban referendum needed at least 555,236 projected valid signatures to qualify by random sampling, and it exceeded that threshold.