Public Health

The bacteria that can cause Legionnaires’ disease have been found in a state office complex in Sacramento. An order requiring state employees to return to the office at least two days a week started Monday.

California created a special program to improve infant and maternal care in 1984. Forty years later, the state can’t account for how often people are using the benefits or if the services are helping.

A bill that would've required public schools to give students access to free condoms was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but young advocates worried about the rise in sexually transmitted infections are vowing to keep pushing for access.

As the Tijuana River sewage crisis worsens, local leaders and community organizations in San Diego and elsewhere have pleaded with Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene. The governor has so far deferred to the White House and Congress, leaving dozens of communities helplessly at the whims of federal lawmakers.

California can't solve homelessness without vastly improving the public mental health system. Without treatment and interventions, those with a serious mental illness deteriorate and lose housing.

Gov. Gavin Newsom greenlit 56 bills Wednesday to help ease the state’s affordable housing crisis. And with three days left to take action, he’s gone through most major bills on other pressing issues as well. But there are still a handful of significant ones he has yet to decide. Perhaps the most contentious is Senate […]

Laboratories working with potentially dangerous pathogens are not required to share information about their work with their local communities, which heightens mistrust and leads to blanket restrictions, as California saw this summer. Reporting requirements could improve safety and increase oversight.

It’s a confusing time in the COVID pandemic. A new booster is on the way, but cases are rising and you might want more protection now.

Loaded and unlocked firearms are one of the primary causes of unintentional shooting deaths involving children. Given their effectiveness, the father of a victim says the state should invest federal money for prevention in public education campaigns for safe gun storage and red flag laws.

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 […]