Stat: California Court Hangs Out A Welcome Sign: Drug Makers Can Be Sued Here
In a closely watched decision, the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Monday that hundreds of out-of-state residents had the right to sue Bristol-Myers Squibb in the state court system over side effects caused by one of its drugs. At issue was the question of jurisdiction, which can be used to determine where a lawsuit may be filed. This particular ruling clarified the extent to which the drug maker needed to have a presence in California in order to be sued by people from Texas, Ohio, and 33 other states, who claim they were harmed by the Plavix blood thinner. (Silverman, 8/30)

Los Angeles Times: State Senator Introduces Resolution To Condemn EpiPen Price Hikes
State Sen. Ed Hernandez's attempt to push through a drug pricing transparency bill sputtered this year, but the West Covina Democrat still wants his colleagues to weigh in on the latest controversy in the cost of prescription drugs: the surging price of EpiPens. Hernandez is introducing a resolution that excoriates the anti-allergy device's manufacturer, Mylan, joining a chorus of federal lawmakers who have accused the company of price-gouging. (Mason, 8/30)

Meanwhile, senators in Washington, D.C., demand answers from the company —

The Associated Press: 20 Democratic Senators Blast Steep Price Hike For EpiPens
In a sign of growing concern in Congress, 20 Democratic senators are demanding answers about steep price hikes for the life-saving EpiPen injector device. The senators said in a letter Tuesday that price hikes of more than 500 percent have jeopardized access to emergency allergy shots for many Americans. The letter was addressed to Heather Bresch, CEO of the pharmaceutical company that makes the devices, Mylan N.V. Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Manchin did not sign the letter. (Daly, 8/30)

Los Angeles Times: Compromise Struck On Planned Parenthood-Backed Bill On Secret Recordings
A deal has been struck on a controversial bill sponsored by Planned Parenthood to create new penalties for distributing illegal recordings in the wake of high-profile secret videos circulated by anti-abortion activists. The bill, by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Echo Park), had sought to create a new crime for distributing video or audio recordings involving a healthcare professional that were taken without a person's consent. In California, it is already illegal to make such recordings without all parties' authorization. (Mason, 8/30)

And in other news from Sacramento —

Los Angeles Times: Smoking Would Be Banned In California State Parks And Beaches In Bill Sent To Governor
Amid concerns over health impacts and wildfires, smoking and using electronic cigarettes would be outlawed at California’s 270 state parks and beaches under a bill sent by state lawmakers to the governor on Tuesday. The measure creates a fine of up to $250 for those caught vaping or smoking a cigar or cigarette, or disposing of the remains of a cigarette on a state beach or park. (McGreevy, 8/30)

Capital Public Radio: CPR Training Might Become High School Graduation Requirement
Gov. Jerry Brown has a month to sign a new bill that would make CPR training a high school graduation requirement. The CPR in Schools legislation would require schools to teach students hands-on CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator. ... The bill would go into effect during the 2018-2019 school year. (Johnson, 8/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Theranos Halts New Zika Test After FDA Inspection
Theranos Inc. withdrew its request for emergency clearance of a Zika-virus blood test after federal regulators found that the company didn’t include proper patient safeguards in a study of the new test, said people familiar with the matter. The move is another setback for the Palo Alto, Calif., company as it tries to recover from crippling regulatory sanctions that followed revelations by The Wall Street Journal of shortcomings in Theranos’s technology and operations. Theranos has said it is appealing. (Carreyrou and Weaver, 8/30)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Santa Rosa Doctor Utilizes Culture In Patient Treatment 
Enrique Gonzalez-Mendez developed a strong desire to help people while growing up in Mexico City. Now, as a family physician in Santa Rosa and a clinical professor at UCSF, he funnels that inclination into treating his patients and teaching other doctors how to honor the cultural needs of the underserved. His specialty is known in the industry as “cultural competency,” or delivering health care that honors a patient’s social, cultural, linguistic and spiritual needs, a national concern these days because of the challenges it poses. Every culture has a system of beliefs to explain what causes illness and how it’s treated; the trust and rapport patients have with their doctor goes a long way toward helping them recover. (Hart, 8/30)

San Francisco Chronicle: Public Health Problems In Oakland Linked To Housing Crisis 
The high cost of housing has created a public health crisis in Oakland, Dr. Muntu Davis, head of the Alameda County Public Health Department, said during a news conference at Oakland City Hall on Tuesday. Hypertension and asthma rates are increasing as residents grapple with increased rents and lack of stability. The associated stress can cause depression, anxiety and even schizophrenia, according to a new study by the Health Department and the Oakland research firm PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity. (Swan, 8/30)

In other news from across the state —

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma County Supervisors Approve $630,000 To Support Homeless Services 
Sonoma County’s effort to prioritize housing for homeless people got another boost Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors signed off on more than $630,000 to fund outreach services targeting youth, newly homeless and those who are chronically without shelter. The funding, spread between three Sonoma County nonprofits, expands outreach efforts to Sonoma Valley and extends work in Santa Rosa and along the lower Russian River, two of the areas with the greatest concentration of homeless people in the county. The board action also continues the county’s safe parking program that allows people to sleep in vehicles overnight at nine Santa Rosa sites. (Hart, 8/30)

Ventura County Star: Free Dental Clinic Draws Big Lines, Desperate Needs
Every year, the California Dental Group stages free clinics to help people who can't afford emergency care for problems ranging from cavities to infected gums. Every year, people flood the place. They stand in line for hours, pushed by needs they say fall between the cracks of the health care system...By the time the doors opened at 9 a.m., nearly 100 people waited. Three times that many people sometimes show up for the annual free care events held at many of California Dental Group's seven sites across Southern California. The clinic's founder, Dr. Kamran Sahabi, started the free care programs because 40 percent of the group's patients can't afford the care they need. (Kisken, 8/30)

The New York Times: U.S. Funding For Fighting Zika Virus Is Nearly Spent, C.D.C. Says
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that federal funds to fight the Zika virus were nearly exhausted, and that if Congress did not replenish them soon, there would be no money to fight a new outbreak. As of Friday, the C.D.C. had spent $194 million of the $222 million it was allocated to fight the virus, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the agency. Congress left for its summer recess without approving additional funding. Now that the virus is actively circulating in Florida, Dr. Frieden is pressing his case for funding with new urgency. (Tavernise, 8/30)

In other national health care news —

The Washington Post: Obamacare Exchanges Are Shedding Insurer Options In Lots Of Close 2016 States
One of the assets Hillary Clinton has at her disposal as the 2016 campaign hits the home stretch is that she's supported by a fairly popular incumbent president. Granted, most politicians are popular compared to Clinton and Donald Trump, but President Obama's popularity — at or above 50 percent in 17 of the last 20 weeks of Gallup surveys — means that she can position herself as his heir in a way that appeals to enough people to make up a majority of voters. But there's a risk to that strategy. Obama's signature accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare), is having the roughest year of its existence. (Bump, 8/30)

Los Angeles Times: After Ohio Passed Abortion Law, Risk Of Complications Nearly Tripled
Women seeking medical abortions in Ohio experienced a higher rate of complications after the state implemented a law that put new restrictions on doctors who performed the procedure, according to a study published Tuesday. The law, which took effect in 2011, requires abortion providers to adhere to specific guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when giving patients a combination of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. The drugs have been shown to terminate early pregnancies safely and effectively. (Netburn, 8/30)

Stat: A History Of Health Rumors In Presidential Campaigns
There’s a long history of allegations and rumors about the health of presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton is the latest: Donald Trump’s campaign and other conservatives have insinuated — and in some cases outright claimed — that the Democratic nominee is concealing various health problems. Here are some of the earlier episodes involving other candidates, dating back almost 50 years. (Scott, 8/30)

Stat: WHO Releases New Guidelines For Treatment Of STDs
For the first time in 13 years, the World Health Organization on Tuesday is outlining new recommendations on how to treat three common sexually transmitted diseases, one of which — gonorrhea — has been rapidly developing resistance to nearly every weapon in the medical arsenal.vThe voluminous guidelines are used by member countries to develop their own guidance to doctors for the treatment of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia. (Branswell, 8/30)