Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Berkeleyside: Clinic Selling Peptides, Testosterone And IV Drips Opens In Berkeley
Hydration Room on Berkeley's Fourth Street sells a range of controversial wellness treatments. (Dalton, 10/6)
CalMatters: What To Know About California’s Clinic Initiative, Prop. 44
Prop. 44 would require clinics to spend more money on patient care. The same union backing the billionaire tax supports it. (Hwang, 10/7)
The Orange County Register: Orange County Takes Over Be Well OC Sites In A Settlement With Mind OC
The agreement settles a tumultuous legal battle, allowing a state-of-the-art campus to open in Irvine to provide behavioral health services. (Saavedra, 10/6)
Daily Democrat: Aguiar-Curry’s Bill To Fix Inaccurate Health Provider Directories Signed By Governor
Californians struggling to find a provider who actually accepts their insurance will soon have more reliable information. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 280 to improve the accuracy of health plan provider directories. (Heeden, 9/30)
CapRadio: California To Ban Sale Of Single-Use Disposable Vapes Starting In 2028
After the law takes effect, retailers and distributors could be fined $500 for a first violation and up to $2,000 for subsequent violations. The law targets lithium-ion batteries sealed inside the devices. (Rodriguez, 10/5)
Imperial Valley Press Online: Padilla Lambastes Newsom Veto Of Bill Banning AI Therapy Chatbots
“The governor’s veto message claims the protections for patients and clinicians in this bill go too far, but Gov. Newsom knows all too well the dangers chatbots pose to vulnerable Californians. And despite that knowledge, has allowed unlicensed algorithms to act as therapists,” said Sen. Steve Padilla, the San Diego Democrat who wrote Senate Bill 903. (10/2)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Involuntary Treatment Remains Sticking Point In New Mental Health Legislation
Senate Bill 989, enacted by Gov. Gavin Newsom, makes it easier for first responders to initiate CARE Court petitions. He also signed Assembly Bill 1897, which requires more factors, such as current mental status and capacity to inflict harm on others, to be considered before a person may be released from state prison. (Sisson, 10/5)
CalMatters: Fact Check: Did Newsom's Mental Health Court Reach 10,000 Californians?
Gov. Newsom this week claimed a major victory for CARE Court, his program to provide mental health treatment to Californians with serious conditions. (Wiener and Kendall, 10/2)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Research Institutions Aren’t Talking About Prop. 38, Even Though They Stand To Receive Billions
Backers say that Proposition 38 supports life-saving immunology research to cure and prevent diseases and provide a steady funding source amid uncertainty of federal grants. But critics say that while promising transformative medical breakthroughs, the legislation will channel billions in state funding to a newly created institute that currently has no scientists or researchers. (Harff, 01/2)
CapRadio: Hilton, Becerra Battle In Rare Gubernatorial Debate. But Was The Focus On California?
Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra were asked a range of questions on issues ranging from housing and homelessness, to AI and measles during an hour-long debate Wednesday night hosted by CNN in Burbank. (Zavala, 10/1)
San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser To Pay Millions In Back Wages To 1,000+ Nurses
Kaiser must pay up to tens of millions of dollars to more than 1,000 of its nurses to settle a grievance filed by their union that alleged an error in Kaiser’s payroll system caused them to be underpaid for several years. (Ho, 10/5)
The Mendocino Voice: Mendocino County Orders Unvaccinated Health Workers To Mask Starting Nov. 1
If you work in a Mendocino County hospital, clinic, or nursing home and skip this year’s flu shot, you’ll have to wear a mask around patients starting Nov. 1. (Coryell, 10/1)
San Francisco Examiner: UCSF Social Workers Call For Better Safety At All Clinics
Months after one of their own was stabbed and killed on the job at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86, social workers are calling for more support beyond increased security measures there. (Gurevich, 10/3)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Medical Board Suspends Doctor’s License For Allegedly Pilfering Patients’ Meds
The Medical Board of California recently suspended a the medical license of Dr. Jacob W. Husseman, a board-certified otolaryngologist, over allegations that he pocketed his patients’ oxycodone pills during office visits. The license suspension is temporary. (Sisson, 10/5)
Chico Enterprise-Record: Oroville Hospital Gives Free Diapers To Newborns
Every baby born at Oroville Hospital will receive 400 free diapers, thanks to the hospital’s participation in the Golden State Start program that is designed to ease the financial burden many families face when welcoming a child. The initiative has no income levels, applications, or paperwork requirements to participate. (Gotgtesman, 10/6)
CalMatters: Doctors, Insurers Sue Newsom Over Health Insurance Premium Increases
California doctors and health insurers sue over the MCO tax, alleging violations of a 2024 initiative and higher insurance premiums. (Hwang, 10/2)
CapRadio: Why Some California Healthcare Groups Oppose A Tax That Would Send 90% Of Its Money To Healthcare
Some major healthcare organizations that could benefit from the tax are campaigning against it because of concerns that there aren’t enough safeguards in place to ensure the money is spent as intended. (Zavala, 10/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Has Created A Big Dilemma For California
A provision in the law could create a state budget deficit or increase health insurance premiums for Californians, and time is running out to avert a crisis. (Bollag, 10/5)
Imperial Valley Press Online: California Lawmakers Face ‘Flawed Math’ As Proposed Medi-Cal Tax On Large Employers Threatens Jobs, Study Warns
A proposed monthly tax on large California employers whose workers rely on Medi-Cal rather than company insurance faces severe mathematical shortfalls, threatens to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, and risks driving up everyday grocery and household costs, according to a report released Wednesday by the Center for Jobs and the Economy. (10/2)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Sharp Decision To Drop Medicare Advantage In 2027 Leaves Thousands In Limbo
Sharp Health Plan has begun notifying its patients that it will stop offering its own Medicare Advantage coverage in 2027, a change that will force thousands of older San Diego residents to find new, and possibly more expensive, coverage. (Sisson, 10/5)
CapRadio: Residents In Sacramento’s 7th Congressional District Grapple With Health Costs, While Candidates Divided On The Solution
“If it has to come down to the cost to repair your body, which you need in order to make the money for the cost, I think there’s something seriously skewed with the program,” said Keo Gonzalez, a 45-year-old Sacramento City College student. (Rodriguez, 10/1)
Victorville Daily Press: California Among Top States For Cases Of Brain-Eating Amoeba
The renewed concern is particularly relevant in California, which has recorded one of the highest totals of reported cases in the nation since health officials began tracking infections decades ago. (Sepulveda, Loehrke and Ward, 9/29)
The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Named Asthma Capital Of The Western United States
Risk factors for Sacramento and California’s Central Valley include poor air quality, few asthma specialists, and low RSV vaccination rates, which can lead to higher asthma rates and emergencies, a 2026 report by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America said. (Sweeney, 10/6)
KQED: Commercial Gas Kitchens Expose Workers To A ‘Soup Of Pollution,’ High Heat
Commercial kitchens outfitted with gas-fired appliances can reach temperatures as hot as California’s Death Valley in the summer and expose workers to harmful gases in excess of health-based guidelines, according to a first-of-its-kind study. (Dahlstrom-Eckman, 10/6)
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Berry Steam Treatment Pilot Program Gets Underway In Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County is testing a steam treatment pilot program in which specialized equipment is used to inject high-temperature steam into the soil before berry crops are planted. The goal is to explore a technology that would not have the health risks associated with pesticides but could still protect crops against pathogens and other soil-borne pests. (Sestanovich, 10/4)
San Luis Obispo Tribune: E. Coli Outbreak: Alfalfa Sprout Seeds Recalled In CA
Berlin Seeds of Millersburgh, Ohio, recalled 950 pounds of alfalfa sprouting seeds because they could potentially be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli or salmonella, the FDA said. (Syrai Olsen, 10/2)
The Sacramento Bee: Supplement Recalled For Salmonella, Ingredients Sold In CA
Foods Alive of Angola, Indiana, recalled moringa leaf powder on Sept. 4 after a supplier reported a sample of super green powder mix had tested positive for salmonella. (Syrai Olsen, 10/2)
Modesto Bee: Prepared Foods Linked To Dead Mouse In Jar Recalled At CA Grocery Stores
WinCo Foods recalled two types of Salsa Bean Dip Trays containing recalled peperoncini from a California company linked to a video showing a dead mouse in a jar, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Rodriguez, 10/5)
San Luis Obispo Tribune: More Than 122,000 Gatorade Cases Recalled Across US
PepsiCo recalled 28 oz. Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Lemon Lime Zero, Gatorade Orange, and Gatorade Orange Zero for undeclared Yellow No. 6 and Yellow No. 5 dyes, the FDA said. (Sweeney, 10/5)
Los Angeles Times: Department Of Homeland Security Buys Two More Detention Centers In California For $950 Million
The GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison corporation, announced Monday that it had sold the detention facilities, including the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, totaling 2,644 Beds. (Castillo, 10/5)
Southern California News Group: Adelanto ICE Medical Staff Repeatedly Failed Detainee Who Died, Internal Report Says
Former DACA recipient Ismael Ayala-Uribe died from complications related to a pelvic abscess while in ICE custody on September 22, 2025, a coroner’s report states, after being detained for nearly a month inside the Adelanto detention center, federal authorities said. (Mena, 10/3)
KQED: After A Year Of ICE Detention, Struggles Linger As Family Reunites In San Francisco
Family separation has become a hallmark of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, including in Northern California, where arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have surged. Experts in youth well-being say it’s had devastating impacts on children. (Johnson, 10/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: ICE Releases San Francisco Lawmaker’s Staffer From Detention
California Assembly staffer Ho Yin Mo of San Francisco has been released from ICE custody after weeks in a Nevada detention center. (Vaziri, 10/3)
Bay Area News Group: Marin Supervisors Approve Homelessness Program At Hotel
Marin County supervisors have approved a plan to use Bermuda Palms Hotel in San Rafael as interim housing for homeless residents despite opposition from San Rafael officials. (Halstead, 10/3)
The Modesto Bee: Modesto, County Explore Purchase Of Homeless Shelter Site
A shift in state funding sources created uncertainty around the county’s contract with The Salvation Army to operate the Access Center Emergency Shelter. The county, city and Salvation Army have scrambled to shore up the funding gap and managed to find grant funds to keep it open through Dec. 31. (Carolson, 10/5)
Santa Monica Daily Press: Santa Monica Homelessness Stable But Downtown Concentrated: RAND Study
Santa Monica's homeless population has held relatively steady for a decade but it remains heavily concentrated downtown, where it has more impact on businesses and visitors, according to a new RAND Corporation study. (Hall, 10/1)
Lodinews.com: San Joaquin County Officials, Cities Discuss Efforts To Reduce Homelessness
Officials at the forum highlighted a reported 50% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the county over the past year and discussed efforts to connect people with shelter, treatment, and other services. (9/30)
Los Angeles Times: Should California Hotels Be Sued For Using Fragrances In Their Lobbies?
Hotels increasingly use signature scents to shape their brands, but guests with asthma or chemical sensitivities say those fragrances can trigger headaches and other problems. (Reynolds, 10/3)
Victorville Daily Press: Victorville Event Connects Residents To Mental Health Care, Resources
The free Mental Health Resource Fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Victorville Activities Center. (Ray De La Cruz, 10/6)
Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia Walk Raises Over $21K For Alzheimer's Care, Support, Research
The 2026 Tulare and Kings Counties Walk to End Alzheimer’s raised $21,551 for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The amount is expected to increase as additional donations are made. (Pastis, 10/5)
Chico Enterprise-Record: AwareCA App Launches, Provides Up-To-Date Emergency Information From First Responders
The app features near real-time incident updates, interactive emergency maps, warning and order evacuation zones, shelter and assistance locations, hazard information, road closures, and push notifications and location-aware alerts. (Chiochios, 10/2)
