Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Los Angeles Times: LAUSD Bans Screen Time Before Second Grade
Los Angeles Unified School District will ban classroom screen time before second grade and has enacted limited use for older students, under a pioneering policy approved Tuesday by the school board that reflects growing backlash from parents and educators who are concerned about an over-reliance on computers and technology in K-12 learning. (Sequeira, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times: Bill To Limit Prison Off-Ramp For California's Mentally Ill Advancing
Citing a series of violent crimes that followed criminal defendants being spared of convictions due to diagnosed mental illnesses, state lawmakers have pushed forward legislation backed by California prosecutors to limit who can qualify. (Queally, 6/18)
Imperial Valley Press Online: Supervisors Greenlight 3-Year Behavioral Health Plan For Imperial County
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved the submission of the Imperial County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Integrated Plan on Tuesday, June 16, to the California Department of Health Care Services to be eligible for dedicated state funding to address behavioral health service needs. (Guerrero, 6/23)
KQED: San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder Plans To Return To Office After Mental Health Crisis
San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder will return to office on June 29 after taking a three-month leave of absence due to a mental health challenge. (Johnson, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times: California Library Shooter Wanted To Commit A Columbine-Style Massacre, Police Say
A gunman who entered a library in Northern California and opened fire Monday night was hoping to commit a massacre akin to the Columbine High School shooting, Chico police officials said. (Harter and Lin, 6/22)
Chico Enterprise-Record: Chico Man, 18, Arrested In Connection With Chico Library Killings
An 18-year-old Chico man was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of two counts of murder after two people were shot dead Monday afternoon at the Chico library. (Wolcott, 6/23)
San Francisco Chronicle: Father Of Northern California Library Shooting Suspect Speaks Out
Bradley Scott Sayer’s father said he saw “zero” warning signs before the Chico library shooting that killed two adults and injured a child. (Vaziri and Vainshtein, 6/23)
The Fresno Bee: Valley Children’s To Build 73,000-Sq-Ft Outpatient Center In Madera
Construction is expected to begin next spring and could last two years. (Galicia, 6/23)
Imperial Beach News: Sharp Coronado Hospital Earns ACEP Emergency Department Accreditation
Sharp Coronado Hospital is the first emergency department in California to earn the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Level 2 Emergency Department Accreditation. This three-year accreditation confirms that when an emergency happens, the care delivered at Sharp Coronado meets a national standard for quality and safety. (6/19)
San Francisco Examiner: SF General Hospital To Buy New Mobile Mammography Van
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is poised to buy a new “Mammovan,” its mobile clinic that brings breast-cancer services into city neighborhoods. (Salazar, 6/18)
Times of San Diego: California Is Getting Ready To Increase A Health Insurance Tax — Will It Affect Your Premium?
Legislators this week approved a health tax bill meant to continue critical federal funding for the state’s Medicaid program. (Ibarra, 6/21)
Voice of OC: How Politicized Is Public Healthcare In Orange County?
There are growing questions over what politicians should be involved in healthcare for the county’s poorest residents through CalOptima. (Biesiada, 6/18)
KQED: 5 Things To Know About California's New Billionaire Tax Measure
A healthcare workers union is pushing a one-time 5% tax on the state's roughly 200 billionaires to offset federal Medicaid cuts. (Hwang, 6/18)
Los Angeles Times: 9th Circuit Blocks Law To Prevent 'Forced Outing' Of Trans Students
The appellate court granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of a law that bars school employees from disclosing a student’s gender identity, sexual orientation or expression to parents without the student's consent. (Sharp, 6/22)
inewsource: Isolation, Delays, Deterioration: Court Records Raise Health Concerns At Otay Mesa Detention Center
Dozens of immigrants at the Otay Mesa Detention Center have described deteriorating health or inadequate medical care in court records. (Mejias-Pascoe and Kincaid, 6/15)
Times of San Diego: He Depended On A Prescription To Keep Diabetes In Check. Records From ICE Detention Show How His Health Fell Apart
Times of San Diego reviewed hundreds of medical records from inside the Otay Mesa detention center. (Perlmutter, 6/22)
San Francisco Examiner: SF May Extend Private Sector Help In Reducing Homelessness
San Francisco supervisors are working to extend an exemption allowing The City’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to solicit donations from the private sector to support shelter expansion and other services. (Salazar, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times: Health Concerns As Boyle Heights Warehouse Fire Stretches Into A Week
Toxic air has covered the San Gabriel Valley and beyond at times, as the fire continues to burn and the wind shifts the pall in different directions. (Briscoe, McNair and Baysinger, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times: Traveler With Measles Was At LAX. Caution Urged Amid World Cup
A person infected with measles flew on a transpacific flight and passed through Los Angeles International Airport last week, potentially exposing other passengers to the highly contagious disease. (Lin II, 6/19)
Appeal-Democrat: Yuba-Sutter Mosquito Control Conducts Aerial Spraying This Week To Keep Problems At Bay
This spraying from the sky is designed to curb the population of mosquitos that spread viruses like West Nile, Dengue and Chikungunya and are scheduled to occur over several agricultural areas in the region this week. (Bowden, 6/23)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Sues Trump Administration Over Emissions Standards
California is suing the Trump administration in a bid to keep the state’s tougher emissions standards for motor vehicles. (Egelko, 6/22)
CalMatters: Imperial County Approved A Massive Data Center. Then It Changed Its Mind.
A million-square-foot data center became a lighting rod in this rural county. Local leaders are fighting back. (Brennan, 6/23)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: New California Laws Taking Effect July 1, 2026
New California laws taking effect July 1, 2026, cover everything from “best if used by” dates on food to school bathrooms. (Swanson, 6/11)
Capital & Main: Military Families Are Going Hungry — And The Numbers Don't Yet Reflect The War
The number of families struggling with food insecurity nearly tripled in last two years, survey finds. (Baram, 6/23)
EdSource: Could Early Education Bring Down Rising Costs To Serve California Students With Disabilities?
Parents, educators and researchers say that inclusive early education improves outcomes for students with disabilities and reduces the need for more intensive — and costly — special education services in older grades. (Gallegos, 6/23)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Cracks Down On Illegal Cannabis Delivery Services
San Diego cracked down Monday on illegal cannabis delivery services by creating new permit requirements, increasing penalties and allowing legal dispensaries to sue illegal operators and recover damages. (Garrick, 6/22)
Los Angeles Times: This Plant Extract Can Make A Lethal Drug Cocktail. Can It Also Treat Opioid Addiction?
The U.S. will begin to test kratom for its potential to treat opioid disorder. In California, a complaint targets a business accused of violating kratom restrictions. (Garcia, 6/19)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Health-Food Restaurant Coming To A Second San Diego Location This Fall
UC San Diego is getting a Goop Kitchen at the center of campus. The California restaurant chain, founded by actress-turned-health mogul Gwyneth Paltrow, is gearing up for a fall opening at the campus’s new Triton Center. (Popescu, 6/22)
