public health

From CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal:  California has taken a number of steps over the past decade to make voting easier: Mailing ballots to all registered voters, plus allowing early voting and same-day registration.  Yet, the electorate hasn’t shifted to match the state’s growing diversity: Frequent voters are far from representative of the majority […]

In a presidential year, California’s 2024 primary is in March instead of June, and the state is the biggest prize for the Republican nomination. Over the weekend, the state GOP changed the rules in a way that appears likely to boost former President Donald Trump and to make California the delegate “mother lode of the […]

It’s been a mixed bag for California residents seeking health reform. Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace for middle-income residents, announced on Tuesday that it would increase its premiums by nearly 10% in 2024 — the highest hike since 2018, writes CalMatters’ health reporter Kristen Hwang. Though federal pandemic aid had helped shield most […]

With a death toll of more than 7,000 Californians in 2021, the opioid epidemic has become one of the state’s most vexing issues. The Legislature is considering several minor bills related to fentanyl — including creating an anti-fentanyl-abuse task force and increasing fines for dealers — but Republican lawmakers voice frustration that the state isn’t […]

California’s experimental new program targets methamphetamine addiction by rewarding patients with gift cards for negative drug tests.

On an average day in California, about 18 people die due to overdoses from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. That works out to nearly four people every five hours. In that same five-hour period, legislators on Wednesday heard the sad account of a grieving mother, analyses from local officials and researchers and even one admission […]

Despite various investments and political action, maternal death rates have climbed in recent years, especially for Black women. California passed a law in 2021 to confront racial disparities in maternal and infant health, but advocates say there needs to be mechanisms for transparency and accountability and deeper investment.

During a dramatic hearing Thursday at the state Capitol, seven fentanyl measures finally received a verdict: Four bills passed, but the two most sweeping failed and a third was put on hold. Watching closely: Grieving families who lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning, recovering addicts and advocates for criminal justice reform. To get inside the […]

Good news: California has a near-record snowpack in the Sierra, which could ease the impact of our deep drought. Bad news: There’s a heat wave coming this week. Really bad news: If the snow melts too fast, it could help cause devastating floods in the Central Valley. Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom went to Tulare Lake […]

What could have been a dramatic showdown Thursday, orchestrated by Republican legislators demanding action on bills addressing California’s fentanyl crisis, was ultimately avoided with a deal for a special hearing next week. Let’s back up a moment: In March, the chairperson of the Assembly public safety committee, Los Angeles Democrat Reggie Jones-Sawyer, announced that the […]