Maternity care on the comeback as new California laws take hold

After a rural California hospital shut down its maternity ward in 2022, pregnant women in Plumas County had to travel at least 70 miles to give birth. It was among dozens of California communities that lost labor and delivery services in the past decade. 

That may change by next year, though, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two new laws that seek to mitigate California’s maternity care deserts, writes CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang.

Because of rising costs, staffing issues and declining birth rates, Plumas District Hospital in Quincy closed its maternity ward three years ago. Since then, patients giving birth must travel for hours either north to Susanville; south to Truckee through winding mountain roads; or even farther east to Nevada, where the hospitals are larger.

But in October Newsom signed a bill to create a 10-year pilot program allowing hospitals, including Plumas, to establish standby maternity units that operate only when needed instead of 24/7. He also signed another measure lifting some licensing requirements for birth centers to receive state approval. Typically run by midwives, birth centers accept low-risk pregnancies. At least 20 birth centers have closed in California over the last three years. 

Because of the new legislation, the hospital aims to open a standby maternity ward by next year. It also plans to open a birth center after facility leaders saw a growing demand for it: A community midwife delivered more babies at people’s homes in 2022 than the hospital did in its maternity ward, according to the hospital’s director of business development.

Lori Link, a certified nurse midwife with the hospital, said many of her current patients ask about when the birth center will open — evidence to her that the hospital’s maternity care plans are warranted because the community wants it. 

• Link: “I think this is a testimony to the power of listening to women.”

Read more here.

Let’s dive into some California environmental news:

• Colorado River talks: California and six other Western states along the Colorado River faced a federal deadline Tuesday in their negotiations over how to portion water from the overtapped river. Despite two years of talks, the states remain deadlocked over how much they must scale back their water usage. Current river management guidelines expire in 2026, and federal officials have threatened to step in if states fail to reach an agreement. The federal administration under President Donald Trump has yet to specify what it might do if it needs to intervene. Read more from CalMatters’ Rachel Becker.

• CA at climate conference: Gov. Newsom on Monday slammed the Trump administration’s absence at the United Nations’ climate conference in Brazil as “rather jaw dropping.” The governor, along with other state officials and legislators, led a delegation at the conference on behalf of California, symbolically standing in for the U.S. government. California officials say attending the conference is valuable because it helps build international relationships, informs policy and enables the state to join agreements with other regional governments. But critics argue California’s presence is performative and fails to represent local interests. Read more from CalMatters’ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Alejandro Lazo.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that it is investigating UC Berkeley after protestors clashed outside a campus event held by Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that seeks to promote conservative values on college campuses. UC Berkeley was the organization’s final stop of its tour, as well as its first event at a California college campus since its co-founder, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot in September.

Ella Carter-Klauschie and Chrissa Olson of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network were on the ground, reporting that while most of the speeches during the event focused on Kirk and criticizing the campus protests, demonstrators outside chanted “Fascists out of Berkeley,” “Trump must go now,” and “F—k Charlie Kirk.” Students collided with police, who wore riot gear and held batons and projectile weapons, leading to at least four arrests. 

Read more here.

Speaking of the UC: The UC’s 26-member Board of Regents sets policies for the UC system and all its campuses, including on tuition increases. But currently, only one of the two student positions on the board has voting power. Last year, one student regent voted in favor of raising nonresident tuition while the other student regent, who couldn’t vote, disagreed. The incident underscores arguments made by some at the UC Student Association, who say students cannot be represented by just one vote. Read more from Khadeejah Khan and Phoebe Huss of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.

The state’s highest court handed a loss to the union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers on Monday, siding with the city of L.A. that an all-caps warning about making a false complaint against an officer is a violation of free speech. Read more from CalMatters’ Nigel Duara.