Contributed
Gov. Steve Sisolak announces a proposed increase in home care funding and a $15 minimum wage for caregivers in his state budget. The announcement came Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in a Las Vegas campaign stop at the Service Employees International Union local.
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Las Vegas home care nurse Irma Nunez has never been in it for the money.
Since moving to the valley from California more than 13 years ago, she said, she’s been helping Las Vegans who are elderly or with disabilities complete a variety of daily tasks, ranging from administering medication to completing household chores.
All for $10.50 an hour.
But with gas prices soaring, it’s made it virtually impossible to tend to each of her six clients on a daily basis while making a livable wage for herself, she said
“It’s a hard job, and one of the hardest things is that we don’t get the pay we’re supposed to for doing it,” she told the Sun in a recent phone interview. “But somebody has to do it.”
Good news could be on the way.
Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak in a campaign stop Wednesday announced an increase in home care funding, as well as a proposed $15 minimum wage for caregivers in the budget proposal he intends to recommend to state lawmakers in 2023.
Sisolak will have to beat Republican gubernatorial challenger Joe Lombardo to present his proposed budget during the next legislative session.
Another budgetary promise is to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate, which employers receive for providing home care services, from $17.56 to $25 an hour, Sisolak said.
The rate has remained relatively unchanged since 2003, when the reimbursement rate was $17 per hour. The reimbursement rate was increased to $17.56 in 2020.
“You put in a tremendous amount of work and at-home health care workers are underpaid and overworked,” Sisolak told supporters. “I want to make health care more affordable for everyone.”
The event Wednesday, which was hosted by the Service Employees International Union, was part of a voter turnout drive targeting Nevada’s women, seniors and people of color, according to a release from the union. Nevada’s home care workforce is about 88% women and 58% people of color.
The union said the demand for home care nurses had skyrocketed in recent years. According to census data, Nevada’s share of residents 65 and over has increased by 57% from 2008 to 2018.
“This is a pretty good deal, because it motivates us to stay in the field and keep helping people,” Nunez said.
Henderson Chamber backs Lombardo
The Henderson Chamber of Commerce on Friday announced it had endorsed Joe Lombardo for governor, making it the second Southern Nevada business collective to endorse the Clark County sheriff in a week.
On Monday, Lombardo was endorsed by the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce.
“As governor, I’m excited to unleash the potential of Nevada small businesses by championing pro-small business policies, eliminating job-killing regulations and instituting groundbreaking workforce development programs,” Lombardo said in a statement.
Sisolak was previously endorsed by Southern Nevada’s largest business group, the Vegas Chamber.
The Henderson Chamber also endorsed Republican lieutenant governor candidate Stavros Anthony, as well as Democratic incumbent Zach Conine for state treasurer and Democratic hopeful Cisco Aguilar for secretary of state.
The Asian Chamber issued the same endorsements for the state’s top executive races.
Another poll finds tight races
In a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., held a 2-point lead — 46% to 44% — over her Republican challenger, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt.
The survey of 500 likely voters was conducted via phone Oct. 4-7, according to USA Today. The poll’s margin of error is a plus/minus of 4.4%.
The same poll showed Lombardo with a slight lead over Sisolak, 44% to the incumbent’s 43%.
Mail ballots sent
Clark County has started sending mail ballots to voters for the Nov. 8 election. Those ballots should be arriving within the next week, county spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Under state law, all Nevada voters are sent mail ballots, except for those who have opted out. About 1.3 million mail ballots are being sent to Clark County voters, Kulin said.
Completed ballots can be submitted to elections officials through Election Day on Nov. 8.
In-person voting is available during an early-vote period from Oct. 22 through Nov. 4, and again on Election Day.
Voter guides go out for Chinese-language speakers
The Asian Community Development Council released a Chinese-language voter guide Friday aimed at educating voters about election deadlines and processes, voting options, poll locations and where to go for additional questions, according to a release.
The guide was published in tandem with All Voting is Local, a nonpartisan organization that encourages voter participation. Voting information from the group is also available in Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai, according to the release.
