THIS WEEK'S FEATURE

Efforts To Understand the Nation’s Drugged Driving Problem Stall Under Trump

(Larry Robinson / The Daily Sentinel)

By Jace DiCola

Federal highway safety officials have long tracked the role of alcohol in fatal crashes, but they don’t track deaths that involve a driver under the influence of drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. That discrepancy is partly due to the challenges of proving impairment, since some drugs remain detectable for weeks after use.

NTSB researchers reported in 2022 that, across four geographical samples of roughly 26,000 drivers, about half of those arrested for impaired driving and more than a quarter of drivers killed in crashes tested positive for more than one substance, such as cocaine, sedatives, and antidepressants. The analysis also found that only four states and the District of Columbia drug-tested more than 60% of fatally injured drivers in 2020.

Those findings led the NTSB, an independent federal agency that investigates major incidents, to make a series of recommendations to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and states to establish a comprehensive, nationwide dataset on impaired driving. But hurdles remain to creating such a system. Fatality and injury reports submitted to the NHTSA database often feature missing or erroneous data, according to a 2022 report.

Varying state laws around testing arrestees and decedents for drugs make getting uniform data difficult, according to Caroline Cash, a former employee of NHTSA’s impaired-driving division, as does a lack of proven metrics like blood alcohol content to measure drug impairment, not just the presence of a drug.

Acknowledging how long those efforts will take, the NTSB also recommended that NHTSA build an interim surveillance system that would use data from trauma centers to create a national sample of crash-involved impaired drivers.

The agency made some headway, reporting in 2023 that it was conducting its own study with the help of 11 trauma centers and medical examiner offices. It also helped California establish a 19-month statewide surveillance system, which NHTSA will use to evaluate the feasibility of a nationally representative system.

Such programs are useful for public awareness and for improving the ability of police to understand drugged driving patterns that can help them tailor enforcement, said James Chenoweth, a University of California-Davis associate professor who researches toxicology and was involved in the California program. But some trauma centers, especially in rural areas, often lack the research infrastructure necessary for round-the-clock drug testing and participation.

Still, it’s possible, and he said the benefit is apparent in the findings from California’s surveillance system.

Top Health Headlines From Around California

Gun Violence

Los Angeles Times: Suspects Charged San Diego Islamic Center Wearing Armor, Firing On Multiple People, Witnesses Say

The two gunmen who opened fire at a San Diego mosque and killed three people inside Monday were “fully armored,” a witness and member of the mosque said. (Winton, Fry, Hernandez and Harter, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Mother’s Call To Police Sparked Urgent Search Before San Diego Mosque Shooting

She reported that she believed her son was suicidal, and that he had taken three of her weapons, police said. (Alfaro and Brulliard, 5/19)

AP: San Diego Mosque Shooters Met Online, FBI Says

Authorities say the two teenagers who shot and killed three people in an attack on a California mosque had been radicalized online where they first met. (Watson, biesecker and Seewer, 5/19)

Los Angeles Times: San Diego Mosque Attack: Security Guard's 'Heroic' Actions Saved Others, Officials Say

On Tuesday, he was identified as Amin Abdullah. The mosque called him “a courageous man who put himself on the line of the safety of others.” (Fry and Garcia, 5/19)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Three Victims Killed In San Diego Islamic Center Attack Identified

The men were identified Tuesday as Mansour Kaziha, Nader Awad and Amin Abdullah by the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. (Figueroa, 5/19)

CalMatters: Moving To California With A Gun? You Might Have To Take A Four-Hour Course

Californians would have to take a four-hour course with live-fire training to buy a gun if a bill gets signed into law. (Sabalow, 5/19)

Politics

The Orange County Register: Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra Continue To Lead In New California Gubernatorial Candidate Poll

Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. health secretary, continue to lead as the top two candidates, a poll released Tuesday showed. (Tat, 5/19)

Los Angeles Times: Homeless People On Skid Row Were Paid To Register To Vote, Feds Charge

A longtime signature gatherer will plead guilty to paying homeless people on Skid Row to help get initiatives on the ballot. (Ellis, 5/18)

CalMatters: California Lawmakers Rush $25 Million To Hospitals Without Knowing Who Qualifies

A $25 million grant to cash-strapped hospitals became law less than a week after it was introduced — so fast that it caught some hospitals and even lawmakers off guard. (Yu and Ibarra, 5/15)

Berkeleyside: Trump Administration Again Suspends UC Berkeley Research Grants

The National Science Foundation froze at least 18 grants to the university, an attorney for UC researchers said. (Mello, 5/8)

Health Costs and Coverage

Los Angeles Times: Vance Says $1.3 Billion In Medicaid Payments To California Will Be Deferred Over Fraud Concerns

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the Trump administration is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California. (Rector, 5/13)

KQED: After The One Big Beautiful Bill, Free Clinics Are Stepping Up

Many Californians no longer have access to healthcare because of higher premiums or their immigration status. Free clinics are rushing to fill the gaps in coverage. (Cabrera-Lomeli and Hernandez, 5/5)

Mother Jones: Newsom’s Budget Shows He’s Not The Resistance Leader You Think He Is

Disabled people on Medicaid-funded home care are often “conditioned to accept crumbs.” (Metraux, 5/15)

Health Care Industry

The Sacramento Bee: Ballot Measure Caps Hospital Executive Pay At $450K In California

A ballot measure that would cap hospital executives’ compensation has qualified to appear on voters’ ballots in November, according to Secretary of State Shirley Weber. (Paviour, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: California, Other States Sue Over New Trump Limits On Loans For Nurses, PAs, Therapists

California and a coalition of other Democratic-led states say the changes will further reduce a struggling but vital workforce. (Rector, 5/19)

Mission Local: ‘We Can No Longer Pretend:’ Patients Suffer At Understaffed UCSF ER, Providers Say

Providers at UCSF's Parnassus ER say understaffing has reached a crisis point. One described seeing patients dead on a gurney. (Agnew, 5/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Major Strike Averted At UC Hospitals And Campuses As Deal Reached

The union representing thousands of UC medical and service workers reached a tentative agreement with UC that narrowly averted an open-ended strike. (Asimov, 5/14)

VC Star: Ventura County Nursing Leader Named CEO Of VCMC, Santa Paula Hospital

Nursing leader Danielle Gabele started her new duties as CEO of two-county run hospitals on May 10. (Kisken, 5/18)

North Bay Business Journal Staff: Providence Sonoma County Names New Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Sean Townsend has been appointed chief medical officer at Providence Sonoma County, which includes Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Healdsburg Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital. (5/11)

The Desert Sun: Ranch Recovery Centers Opens New Medical Services Building

Over the past eight years, The Ranch has grown from three providers to 13, making the addition of a larger medical space critical. (Van Dijk, 5/15)

KQED: Bay Area’s First Medical School In Over 100 Years Could Open In 2030

The Bay Area is slated to get its first new medical school in more than 100 years, thanks to a partnership between two longstanding institutions and the largesse of a Silicon Valley couple. (Geha, 5/19)

Mental Health

The San Diego Union-Tribune: State Budget Cuts Target ‘Crown Jewel’ Of Mental Health Care

The governor's spending plan for the next fiscal year would eliminate funding for San Diego County's Mobile Crisis Response Teams. (Sisson, 5/18)

CalMatters: Why California May Change Rules For Jail Mental Health Diversion

Californians accused of crimes can receive mental health treatment rather than prison time. Lawmakers are revamping the rules following reports of violent offenses. (Singh, 5/13)

Homelessness

The San Diego Union-Tribune: What Happens After A Homeless Encampment Sweep? Data Shows The Limits Of What San Diego’s Strategy Accomplishes

Encampments often reappear days — sometimes hours — after they’re cleared. The sweeps cost taxpayers more than $7 million each year. (Davis and Taketa, 5/10)

Times of San Diego: A Lifeline Or ‘Dystopian’? San Diego Schools Open Parking Lots For Homeless Students, Families

As the number of unhoused families continues to climb, some school districts are using their parking lots to shelter homeless students and their families. (Morton, 5/12)

Public Health

KTLA: Fifth Californian Possibly Exposed To Hantavirus Connected To Cruise Outbreak

California Public Health officials said they have identified a fifth person from the Golden State who may have been exposed to hantavirus following an outbreak on a luxury cruise ship. None of the five California residents have tested positive for the hantavirus. (Fiset, 5/14)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: With Mpox Cases Increasing, At-Risk Residents Urged To Get Second Vaccine Dose

Seven cases of a new version of the virus have been detected in California since late 2024. (Sisson, 5/15)

USA Today: Fungal Storms Are Getting Worse In California — What They Are And Why

Fungi are taking the U.S. by storm — and California is emerging as one of the nation’s most active hotspots. (Addison, 5/14)

San Francisco Examiner: SF Commission Delays Vote On Outdoor Bar Patio Smoking Ban

San Francisco lawmakers punted on advancing an ordinance by Supervisor Myrna Melgar that would prohibit smoking on the outdoor patios of local bars and taverns. (Salazar, 5/19)

Environment and Health

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Quietly Fires Its First Chief Heat Officer

Marta Segura stepped into the new role in 2022 amid a dramatic increase in climate-fueled heat events. (Smith, 5/12)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: South Bay Air Purifier Program Suspends New Applications Amid Wait For New Funding

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) announced Friday it is no longer accepting applications for its air purifier distribution program for residents of the South Bay impacted by the Tijuana River pollution crisis due to a lack of funding. (Armstrong, 5/19)

Los Angeles Times: California Announces Two Air Contaminants Pose Higher Cancer Risks Than Benzene

California health officials have released new scientific findings that suggest the health risks from exposure to two chemicals present in ambient air, acrolein and ethylene oxide, are worse than previously known. (Smith, 5/14)

The Modesto Bee: Pesticide Spraying Near Stanislaus County School Concerns Parents. Why It’s Legal

Although California laws prevent schools and nearby farmers from applying pesticides when students are present, cities are largely an exception. On May 1, Patterson city staff sprayed pesticides at Floragold Park next to Apricot Valley Elementary school while kids were outside. (Bisharyan, 5/18)

Aging

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Napa County Public Health Monitoring Senior Housing Complex Where Legionnaires’ Disease Cases Reported

Napa County Public Health is monitoring the situation at a Napa senior housing complex where two cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in the past two months. (Booth, 5/12)

The Jewish News of Northern California: ‘Deeply Connected’: First Local Hospice Earns Certification For Jewish Care

Angel Palliative Care and Hospice, a local agency founded by Jewish women, is now certified by the National Institute for Jewish Hospice. (Loeb, 5/18)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: 91-Year-Old Widow Suing Luxury Santa Rosa Senior Living Facility, Alleging Elder Abuse

Varenna at Fountaingrove faces an elder abuse lawsuit filed on behalf of a resident who is the widow of a California appellate court justice. (Murphy and Barber, 5/15)

Other California News

Los Angeles Times: Amid Surging Inflation, L.A. Food Giveaway Draws Thousand--And Runs Out Of Supplies

A food distribution event in Baldwin Hills ran out of supplies Wednesday, sending scores of families home empty-handed. (Harter, 5/14)

California Weekly Roundup: The Nation's Drugged Driving Problem

California Weekly Roundup