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Mast also attributed the effort to “right-wing think tanks and advocacy groups that seek to weaken workers’ rights, erode our social safety net, and threaten the progress we’ve made on equitable access to public education.”

“I never would have imagined persons hired to be the safety net and care for the most vulnerable could or would abuse their position and power in this way,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

Many doctors, a handful of economists, and some conservative politicians have sought to redefine Medicare as a "safety net" for the nation's most vulnerable rather than as a scheme for all.

Soni, a Harvard-trained primary care doctor who sees patients one day a week at an urgent care clinic in Los Angeles County’s public safety net health system, is familiar with the challenges those communities face.

When a massive storm knocked out power and sent the world outside into a flickering haze of uncertainty — no streetlights, no signal, no safety net — James was there.