Good morning, California. Its Tuesday, May 25.

When you get your November 2022 ballot, it might feel as though youre seeing double: For the first time in history, a race for the same California seat in the U.S. Senate will likely appear twice.

Thats because lawmakers are rushing to tweak a piece of Californias election law that experts say could violate the U.S. Constitution. The problem became apparent when Kamala Harris resigned from the Senate to become vice president and Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Alex Padilla to fill the seat through the end of Harris term in January 2023. That apparently put the state in danger of contradicting the U.S. Constitution, which says governors temporary appointees can hold their positions only until the people fill the vacancies by election. And theres an election in November 2022 two months before Harris term ends.

To address the constitutional snag, the state Assembly on Monday passed a bill that calls for an election whenever a Senate seat becomes vacant. It also generally requires that election to be held the same day as a regularly scheduled statewide election, to ensure the greatest participation and to avoid the costs and disruptions of standalone statewide special elections whenever possible, according to the bills author, Menlo Park Democratic Assemblymember Marc Berman.

Therefore, if the state Senate also passes the bill, your November 2022 ballot will contain two elections for the same U.S. Senate seat: One for the remainder of Harris term running from November 2022 to January 2023, and one for the new six-year term beginning January 2023.

But Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, the Rocklin Republican who flagged the constitutional issue for the Legislatures lawyers, told me the bill solves the problem in the most undemocratic way possible and argued Newsom should have called a separate special election for Harris seat much earlier. The latter point was echoed by Christine Pelosi, chair of the California Democratic Party Womens Caucus, in a November San Francisco Chronicle op-ed.

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The coronavirus bottom line:As of Monday, California had3,674,044 confirmed cases (+0.03% from previous day)and61,762 deaths (+0.01% from previous day), according toaCalMatters tracker.

California has administered 36,364,200 vaccine doses, and 49.2% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

Plus: CalMatters regularly updates this pandemic timeline tracking thestates daily actions. Were alsotracking the states coronavirus hospitalizations by county and lawsuits against COVID-19 restrictions.

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1. OptumServe misses vaccine mark

California agreed to pay health care company OptumServe up to $221 million to coordinate and operate dozens of vaccination sites but the company has fallen far short of the 100,000 doses it told the state it could deliver daily, accounting for just 1.1% of shots given in California since January, CalMatters Caitlin Antonios reports. At least 12 counties have complained to the state that OptumServe has hampered their ability to get shots into arms and at least three have stopped working with the company altogether. Yet despite concerns dating back to at least February, California continued to give OptumServe an ever-larger role in its vaccine rollout.

Its the latest example of California or its contractors underperforming amid the pandemic. The states $50 million MyTurn site, billed as a one-stop-shop for Californians to book vaccine appointments, only accounts for about 27% of shots given each day. Only 0.001% of Californians who signed up on MyTurn to volunteer at vaccine sites were actually able to book shifts. And PerkinElmer, which received a $1.4 billion contract from the state to process COVID-19 tests, has failed to meet mandated turnaround times or daily processing requirements. Making matters worse, the lab PerkinElmer runs in conjunction with the state was recently found to have significant deficiencies that could put its license in jeopardy.

2. Follow the money

Monday was a big day for money in California. Some highlights:

3. Community colleges consider ethnic studies

The more than 2.1 million students who attend Californias 116 community colleges will likely soon have a new graduation requirement: an ethnic studies class. This week, the community college systems Board of Governors is holding a public hearing on the proposal and is expected to vote on the change in July, EdSource reports. The move comes amid a push to integrate ethnic studies into several levels of Californias education system: Lawmakers are consideringa billto make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement, which would likely use a model curriculum recently passed by the state Board of Education after four years of controversy and four separate drafts. Newsom last year also signed a bill mandating California State University students take an ethnic studies course. The CSU system is implementing that as a lower-division class, which thousands of students take at community college before transferring to a CSU. As a result, community colleges are scrambling to hire ethnic studies faculty but a funding source remains unclear.

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CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Newsom is crowing about giving schools billions of extra dollars, but will he hold them accountable for spending it effectively?

Racism is a public health crisis: My bill would help California identify racial and ethnic disparities while addressing structural racism in state policies and budgets, writes state Sen. Richard Pan, a Sacramento Democrat.

Fix youth mental health crisis: Its stunning to realize how many of Californias children do not receive the mental health support they are entitled to and for which we pay federal taxes, argues Lisa Pritzker of the LSP Family Foundation.

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Podcast: Israeli-Palestinian conflict hits Californias high schools ethnic studies curriculum. // Los Angeles Times

California driver shortage could make trucking school the most lucrative career change. // Mercury News

California is seeing a COVID-19 baby bust. What is causing it? // Los Angeles Times

California prison doctors fear drug treatment program could create new addicts. // Sacramento Bee

Californias stem cell program found a disease cure, but its being blocked by a biotech firm. // Los Angeles Times

San Francisco touts successes in moving homeless off the streets. But the reality is complicated. // San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco ranks near the bottom of U.S. metro areas in home value increases. // San Francisco Chronicle

Apple mega deal: iPhone maker agrees to huge Sunnyvale expansion. // Mercury News

PG&E to sell San Francisco headquarters for $800 million, wants half of the money returned to customers. // San Francisco Chronicle

Amanda Gormans private school: Mix of rich, poor, arts and social action. // Washington Post

See you tomorrow.

Tips, insight or feedback? Emailemily@calmatters.org.

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An unusual addition to Californias 2022 ballot - CalMatters