Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
POLITICS
CalMatters: California Election Result: Becerra, Hilton Lead In Governor's Race
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton were leading in the race for California governor in early returns Tuesday night, a nailbiter befitting the most unsettled gubernatorial race in recent memory. The two were neck-and-neck after about 4.8 million ballots, or about 55% of the votes, were counted statewide. It could be days or weeks before votes are completely tallied. (Kuang, 6/2)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Will Face Spencer Pratt Or Nithya Raman In Runoff
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is heading to a Nov. 3 runoff, with challengers Spencer Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman battling for the second spot, according to partial election returns posted Tuesday night. Pratt was in second place, while Raman was in third, those returns showed. (Zahniser and Goldberg, 6/2)
Los Angeles Times: Early Returns Show L.A. County Voter Doubts About Healthcare Sales Tax
Los Angeles County’s half-cent sales tax to fund healthcare services was trailing Tuesday, with early returns showing a majority of voters rejecting the measure. The tax — a half-penny of every dollar spent in the county — is meant to prop up local hospitals and clinics that are hemorrhaging funding after recent federal cuts. (Ellis, 6/2)
Politico: California Prepares For Life After Newsom
All of the likeliest contenders represent a stark departure from the current governor in substance and style. (Mason, 6/2)
MEDI-CAL AND INSURANCE
Los Angeles Times: More Middle-Class Californians Cancel Health Coverage
Facing higher premiums and the loss of federal subsidies, 374,000 people with health insurance from the state marketplace known as Covered California canceled their coverage in the first three months of the year, according to government statistics. (Petersen, 6/2)
Times of San Diego: New Federal CalFresh Work Rules Take Effect, Curbing Benefits For Some In Need
New federal rules took effect Monday, requiring some San Diego County residents who once qualified for CalFresh food benefits to meet work or volunteer requirements to maintain eligibility. (6/1)
health industry
San Francisco Chronicle: Historic Staffing Requirements For Psychiatric Hospitals Enacted In California
The California Department of Public Health emergency regulations specify that the hospitals must assign 1 nurse for every 6 patients in adult psychiatric units, and 1 nurse for every 5 adolescent patients. Hospitals found in violation of this standard can be fined $15,000 to $30,000 per day. (Palomino and Dizikes, 6/2)
The Intersection: New Institute Brings Advanced Neuroscience Treatment, Research To Fresno, Valley
The Bob Smittcamp Family Neurosciences Institute in Fresno is bringing advanced neuroscience treatment and research to the San Joaquin Valley, reducing the need for patients to travel to San Francisco or Los Angeles for care. (Sheehan, 5/26)
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco's New Kaiser Hospital Will Have Sky Lounge, Garden
Kaiser Permanente has filed proposed plans for its new hospital in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood. Upon completion in 2033, it will be Kaiser’s first new hospital in the city in more than 70 years. (Ho, 6/2)
Chico Enterprise-Record: Auction Sale Hearing Scheduled For Oroville Hospital
Oroville Hospital, which filed for relief under Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2025, is undergoing a court-supervised sale process, with an auction hearing scheduled for August 13. (Gottesman, 6/2)
VC Star: Santa Paula Residents Worry 2030 Hospital Closure Will Leave Wounds
Santa Clara Valley residents fear the planned closure of hilltop Santa Paula Hospital in 2030 will make it harder to get care when they need it. (Kisken, 5/27)
San Francisco Chronicle: Major California University To Open Medical School In Central Valley
The University of the Pacific will open a medical school in Stockton, one of the first institutions to issue M.D. degrees in the Central Valley. (Ho, 5/28)
Orange County Register: At Rady Children’s In Orange, Disney Characters In MRI Rooms Aim To Ease Scan Anxiety
Philips and The Walt Disney Company are rolling out a Disney-themed MRI experience aimed at making scans less stressful for children. (Darwish, 5/28)
The Desert Sun: Eisenhower Circle Of Stars Achieves $1.4M Goal, Expanding Cardiac Care
The Coachella Valley women's philanthropy group nears $6.5 million in lifetime giving. (Maggio, 5/29)
Stat: Longevity Startup NewLimit Raises $435 Million For New Clinical Trials
South San Francisco-based startup NewLimit is attracting investor interest as it tries to reverse the aging process at the cellular level. The first trial, targeting the liver, is set to begin next year. (DeAngelis, 6/2)
CNN: Charges Dismissed Against California Dermatologist Accused Of Poisoning Husband With Liquid Drain Cleaner
A California judge dismissed charges against a dermatologist accused of poisoning her husband with liquid drain cleaner, ruling that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office had withheld evidence from the grand jury that indicted her. (Boyette, 6/2)
housing
CalMatters: Homelessness Is Down In California And Across The Country, Says New Federal Report
There were 181,934 homeless Californians counted last year – a 2.8% decrease from 2024, according to the new federal report. (Kendall, 5/30)
Santa Monica Daily Press: LA Rough Sleeping Hits 4-Year High Despite Flat Homeless Numbers
Rough sleeping is defined as living completely without a tent, makeshift shelter or vehicle. (Hall, 6/1)
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Faces Budget Crisis, Its Homelessness Fund Is Flush
Mayor Daniel Lurie is hoping to use the windfall to cushion S.F. against potential federal and state rollbacks and prevent more people from becoming homeless. (Angst, 5/27)
Daily Breeze: Carson City Officials, Residents Protest Incoming Homeless Housing Site
A new apartment building set to permanently house a little more than 100 homeless people will open in Carson within the next couple of months. And, even though this is a Los Angeles County project, the city wants a say in which homeless people will be allowed to live in the facility. (Armstrong, 5/29)
SMDP: Santa Monica $6M Renter Aid Program Approved To Prevent Evictions
The City Council has voted unanimously to launch a new homelessness prevention program that will provide up to $20,000 in emergency financial assistance to Santa Monica renters facing eviction. (Hall, 3/29)
The Sacramento Bee: Four Sacramento moms with kids fear they’ll live outside due to city program change
Four mothers with young children are afraid they will be sleeping outdoors starting Wednesday, due to an issue that occurred when the city of Sacramento made a change to its longstanding homeless motel shelter program.
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
Capital & Main: Conditions At California ICE Detention Centers Are Getting Worse, Inspections Find
A state Department of Justice inspection of seven California facilities found overcrowding, poor medical care, inadequate food and excessive force from guards. (Morrissey, 5/26)
The Mercury News: Can Local Or State Government Stop An ICE Detention Center Near Gilroy?
Local and state authorities seeking to halt plans for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility near Gilroy face an uncertain battle, and in one of two possible scenarios, experts say the Trump administration holds all the cards. (Baron, 6/1)
public health
Los Angeles Daily News: Chromium-6 Particles Potentially Traveled 9 Miles Downwind From Eaton, Palisades Fire Areas
Researchers found airborne chromium in the carcinogenic oxidation state two months after the fire, according to the study, published in the Journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. (Wilson, 6/1)
Voice of OC: Garden Grove And Stanton Demand Accountability For Chemical Tank Emergency
Residents are left wondering who’s going to pay them back for unanticipated expenses for things like hotel stays, meals, emergency medication and lost wages – while business owners question how they’re going to make up for lost revenue. (Custodio and Hicks, 5/28)
Voice of OC: Are California’s Toxic Regulators Strong Enough To Protect Local Neighborhoods?
A chemical tank emergency in Garden Grove is triggering questions about the effectiveness of state and regional regulatory agencies. (Biesiada, 5/27)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: E-Bike Injuries Prompt Public Health Warning In San Diego County
California recently released comprehensive data from hospitals across the region recorded in 2024, establishing the broadest e-bike injury baseline since data tracking started in 2023. (Sisson, 5/28)
gun violence
CalMatters: California Bill Targets Mental Health For Gun Violence Youth
A new California bill would require counties to provide free mental health services to young survivors of gun violence. (Ibarra, 5/28)
CalMatters: Young Survivors Of Gun Violence Find Therapy Helps. But Will California Do More?
When Jazelle Eastman was 16 she was shot in the face by a boy she thought was a friend. She doesn’t remember feeling much, but next thing she knew there was blood dripping from her chin. That was two years ago. She still has a hard time trusting people. “PTSD is so real, I feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder,” she said. (Ibarra, 5/28)
other california news
Bay Area News Group: Bay Area Families Sue To Block DOJ From Getting Transgender Children’s Stanford Medical Records
Parents of transgender children who received care at Stanford’s children’s hospital are asking a federal judge to stop the hospital from turning over their children’s identities and medical records to the Trump administration as part of a criminal investigation. A lawsuit filed against Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford seeks to block the hospital from complying with a U.S. Department of Justice criminal subpoena seeking the information. (Baron, 6/3)
Voice of OC: OC Officials Won’t Pursue Renewing Funding For New Black Infant Health Program
Orange County Health Care officials quietly decided not to pursue renewing a state grant to fund a one-year old program aimed at supporting and preparing pregnant Black women for giving birth and keeping themselves and their newborns healthy. (Elattar, 6/1)
San Francisco Examiner: Community, Health Programs Face Cuts In Proposed Budget
Members of San Francisco’s LGBTQ community, seniors and unhoused youths face spending cuts to programs that provide them assistance in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s newly unveiled 2027-28 draft spending plan. (Gurevich, 6/1)
Bay Area Reporter: SF Mayor’s Budget Proposal Won’t Cut Some LGBTQ Orgs
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office was able to avert some previously-planned cuts to eight LGBTQ-serving organizations, the Bay Area Reporter can exclusively report, to the tune of about $2 million. (Ferrannini, 5/29)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Napa Valley College Foundation Pledges Funds To Restore P.E. Program For Those With Disabilities
Three months after community members balked over the elimination of a beloved Napa Valley College program removed due to budget constraints, the college’s foundation stepped in with the funds to restore the adaptive physical education program in the fall. (Gutierrez, 5/28)
Palo Alto Daily Post: Pickleball Sounds Stressing Out Disabled Kids
The Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission wants pickleball players to quiet the high-pitched popping sounds of their sport, which is stressing out disabled kids using a nearby playground at Mitchell Park. (Cartwright, 5/28)
San Luis Obispo Tribune: SLO County Expands Funds For Student Mental Health Services
The SLO County Behavioral Health Department’s “Pathways to Student Wellness” grant initiative will disperse $300,000 to help SLO County high schools expand their on-campus wellness centers, according to a Monday news release. (Dittenber, 6/1)
Times of San Diego: SDPD's Use Of Pepper Spray Has Surged In The Gaslamp Quarter In Recent Years
In 2025, SDPD’s Gaslamp enforcement team, also known as the Gaslamp bike team, deployed more pepper spray strikes than in the previous two years combined, according to SDPD use-of-force data obtained by Times of San Diego. (Hargrove, 5/31)
Los Angeles Times: Gender Reveal Sparked El Dorado Fire; Companies To Pay Millions In Damages
After a gender reveal party went tragically wrong — sparking a major wildfire that led to the death of a firefighter — three companies have agreed to pay more than $4 million for their role in the blaze. (Bozeman, 6/2)
