California Weekly Roundup: Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump

Plus: shadow medical systems for immigrants; homeless mortality rates; alleged fraud at L.A. hospices; a hazmat incident at Disneyland; silver alerts; the "KFF Health News Minute"; and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump and RFK Jr. on Public Health (JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES) By Angela Hart   SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration.   After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez for refusing what her lawyers called "the dangerous politicization of science," Newsom hired her to help modernize California's public health system. He also gave a job to Debra Houry, the agency's former chief science and medical officer, who had resigned in protest hours after Monarez's firing.   Newsom also teamed up with fellow Democratic governors Tina Kotek of Oregon, Bob Ferguson of Washington, and Josh Green of Hawaii to form the West Coast Health Alliance, a regional public health agency, whose guidance the governors said would "uphold scientific integrity in public health as Trump destroys" the CDC's credibility. Newsom argued establishing the independent alliance was vital as Kennedy leads the Trump administration's rollback of national vaccine recommendations.   More recently, California became the first state to join a global outbreak response network coordinated by the World Health Organization. Newsom said joining the WHO-led consortium would enable California to respond faster to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health threats.   Although other Democratic governors and public health leaders have openly criticized the federal government, few have been as outspoken as Newsom, who is considering a run for president in 2028 and is in his second and final term as governor. Members of the scientific community have praised his effort to build a public health bulwark against the Trump administration's slashing of funding and scaling back of vaccine recommendations.   What Newsom is doing "is a great idea," said Paul Offit, an outspoken critic of Kennedy and a vaccine expert who formerly served on the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee but was removed under Trump in 2025. "Public health has been turned on its head," Offit said. "We have an anti-vaccine activist and science denialist as the head of U.S. Health and Human Services. It's dangerous." Read the full story. More From KFF Health News As ICE Moved In, Minnesotans Set Up a Shadow Medical System. It's a Lesson for Other Cities. By Arthur Allen and Kate Wells Home visits, clinicians say, may be the only way to reach those who still feel under siege. In Los Angeles, starting last June, St. John's Community Health brought medical care to some 2,000 immigrant families too frightened to leave home during an immigration sweep after the clinic's no-show rates ballooned to more than 30%, said Jim Mangia, the organization's president. Read the full story. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Homelessness and Hunger Los Angeles Times: Homeless Mortality Is Down In L.A. County For The First Time In A Decade.  Health and homeless service officials hope the trend can continue as homeless programs face significant funding cuts. (Smith, 3/10)   CalMatters: Medi-Cal Cuts Could Strip Health Care From L.A.'s Homeless Unhoused Californians risk losing Medi-Cal under new federal work requirements, threatening access to health care and housing support. (Hwang, 3/5)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Homeless Shelters Are Full. Could Beds In Private Homes Offer A Solution?  A nonprofit is housing formerly homeless people, including many who are working to get sober, in residential neighborhoods. (Nelson, 3/9)   Imperial Beach News: Magnolia Project Food Pantry To Continue Operations Despite the announcement earlier this year that the food pantry would close March 2, a solution has been found, and it will remain open. (Selgi-Harrigan, 3/6) Mental Health Los Angeles Daily News: ​A 110-Year-Old LA County Mental Health Complex Is Getting New Life  Six decaying, vacant buildings on the site of the 162-acre Metropolitan State Hospital grounds in Norwalk are being turned into a mental health treatment village with 162 beds for troubled youth and those experiencing homelessness. (Scauzillo, 3/6)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Why Didn't San Diego County Make The Governor's CARE Court List?  The says region's per-capita numbers of petitions in 2025 didn't quite make the cut. (Sisson, 3/9)   The Mendocino Voice: Families With Missing Loved Ones Like Nancy Guthrie Face Ambiguous Loss. It Freezes Grief  Experts say families of missing people often experience "ambiguous loss," a form of grief without closure. (White, 3/9)   Fox News: Blood Test May Predict Women's Dementia Risk Up To 25 Years Early, Study Finds  A UC San Diego study finds a simple blood test measuring p-tau217 could predict dementia risk in women up to 25 years before symptoms appear. (Rudy, 3/10) Health Care Industry Bay Area News Group: Californians Worry More About Surprise Medical Bills Than Housing Californians worried more about unexpected medical bills than any other expense in 2025, according to a new survey by the California Health Care Foundation. (Stringer, 3/7)   The Desert Sun: Eisenhower Hospital Plans To Upgrade Emergency Room Trauma Center Eisenhower Health is seeking to upgrade its Rancho Mirage trauma center to provide more advanced care and reduce the number of seriously injured patients who need to be transferred to other hospitals. (Coulter, 3/9)   CBS News: CBS News Investigation: Hundreds Of LA Hospices Have Multiple Indicators Of Fraud A CBS News analysis of records for every hospice in Los Angeles County finds indications of fraud are growing. (Gold, Geller, Yamaguchi and Kates, 3/10)   The New York Times: Ex-Executive At Blood Filter Start-Up Is Charged With Covering Up Deaths  Federal prosecutors charged a former executive of ExThera Medical, a California medical-device manufacturer, with concealing the deaths of two cancer patients who were treated with the company's blood filter. (Carreyrou, 3/5)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Meet Sach Jain, The Entrepreneur Revolutionizing American Specialty Care  La Jolla resident leads Carrum Health, a fast-growing platform that helps self-insured companies save on medical procedures. (Sisson, 3/9) Immigration Crisis Southern California News Group: 6-Year-Old Deaf Child Deported Without Due Process, Medical Devices, State Superintendent Says A 6-year-old deaf boy who attended the California School for the Deaf at Fremont, alongside his mother and brother, have been detained and deported by federal immigration agents, according to California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. (Rivera, Hutchings, and Solanga, 3/6)   Los Angeles Times: 33 People Have Died In ICE Custody. Lawmaker Wants California's Detention Center To Be Accountable California state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) announced Friday new legislation that will institute fines and suspend or revoke state-issued licenses to immigration detention facilities when they fail to meet minimum health and safety standards. (Vives, 3/6)   CalMatters: San Diego County Sues ICE After It Blocked Health Inspection At Detention Center San Diego County filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging the Trump administration illegally blocked a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center. (Fry, 3/10)   CalMatters: Will California Restore Medi-Cal For Undocumented Immigrants? A California senator is pushing to restore Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants after last year's budget cuts stripped their access. (Hwang, 3/9) Public Health The Orange County Register: Disneyland Hazmat Incident Sends 7 Employees To The Hospital  Building materials used by a contractor produced a reaction backstage, according to Disneyland officials. (MacDonald, 3/10)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: County Warns Of Possible Tuberculosis Exposure At South County High School  Students, staff and visitors at Southwest High School in Nestor may have been exposed to tuberculosis last fall, the county warned Monday. (Stephenson, 3/10)   NBC News: Oysters And Clams In 9 States Could Be Contaminated With Norovirus, FDA Warns The FDA warned consumers Monday about oysters and clams that could be contaminated with norovirus and were sent to nine states, including California. (Li, 3/10)   VC Star: California Health Officials Urge Vaccinations Amid New Measles Cases New measles cases were recently reported in two Northern California counties. (Araujo, 3/9)   CNN: California's Produce Helps Feed The Nation. Nearly 40% May Contain Toxic 'Forever' Pesticides  Nearly 40% of nonorganic fruits and vegetables grown in California contain traces of pesticides that are also PFAS, or "forever chemicals," according to a new investigation. (LaMotte, 3/11) Other California News Bay Area News Group: Silver Alerts Surge In The Bay Area As Aging Population Grows In 2021, there were 39 Silver Alert activations recorded across Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties, according to a data analysis by this news organization. In 2025, activations jumped 52% from the previous year, rising to 87 from 57 in 2024. (Matemba-Mutasa, 3/10)   Victorville Daily Press: Throat Infection Caused Permanent Paralysis For 13-Year-Old Hesperia Boy A Hesperia teen's life changed after antibiotics caused 13 strokes. His family seeks donations for an "adaptive bike" for his recovery. (Mobley, 3/10)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Rady Children's Study Finds More Severe Trauma With E-Bikes  Researchers from Rady Children's Hospital and UC San Diego presented preliminary findings at the Annual Meeting of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in New Orleans last week that show how the greater velocities involved in e-bike crashes appear able to cause a broader range of trauma than was the case when pedal power was more prevalent. (Sisson, 3/9)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD Professors Wanted Money To Research Telepathy. They Turned To Jeffrey Epstein.  By the time Jeffrey Epstein wrote a $50,000 check to fund unusual research into the paranormal by UC San Diego scientists, they had already known they could turn to him for money. (Robinson and Robbins, 3/8) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' The Trump administration is calling for sharp restrictions on direct-to-consumer drug ads, and for some people facing skyrocketing health insurance costs, becoming eligible for Medicare because of a new diagnosis is a terrible irony. Listen to Zach Dyer ▶️ KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.   (c) 2026 KFF. All rights reserved.   KFF 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA, 94107, United States Opt out of all KFF emails | Manage subscriptions KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States Unsubscribe Manage preferences