Los Angeles Times: Here We Go Again: California Coronavirus Cases Rising. Is A New Wave Coming? 
After months of declining numbers, California has recorded a nearly 30% increase in coronavirus cases over the last week along with smaller rises in hospitalizations, causing some health officials to suspect that the state is headed into a new pandemic wave. The increase coincides with a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions such as mask mandates and vaccine verification rules as well as the rise of new subvariants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain. The question now is how much higher cases will go and whether new government intervention will be needed. (Lin II and Money, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Mutations Aren't Slowing Down 
During those terrifying early days of the pandemic, scientists offered one piece of reassuring news about the novel coronavirus: It mutated slowly. The earliest mutations did not appear to be consequential. A vaccine, if and when it was invented, might not need regular updating over time. This proved overly optimistic. (Achenbach, 5/1)

Reuters: COVID's New Omicron Sub-Lineages Can Dodge Immunity From Past Infection, Study Says
Two new sublineages of the Omicron coronavirus variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to thrive in the blood of people vaccinated against COVID-19, South African scientists have found. The scientists from multiple institutions were examining Omicron's BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages - which the World Health Organization last month added to its monitoring list. They took blood samples from 39 participants previously infected by Omicron when it first showed up at the end of last year. (Cocks, 5/1)

Bay Area News Group: Long COVID Mystery: Do Vaccines Help Or Hurt?
After months of struggling with Long COVID, 25-year-old Ibrahim Rashid was excited to be vaccinated, seeking to prevent reinfection and perhaps ease his symptoms. To his delight, the deep fatigue, chest pain and “brain fog” suddenly lifted. But within a month, the symptoms returned with a vengeance – accompanied by a shocking loss of balance and leg strength. “After I got the vaccine, I was having the best time of my life. I was the happiest person in the world,” said Rashid, a graduate student at the University of Chicago who once excelled at skateboarding and martial arts. (Krieger, 5/1)

Bay Area News Group: Stanford, Packard Nurses To End Strike With New Agreement
After striking for a full week, the union representing 5,000 hospital nurses reached a tentative contract agreement with Stanford Health Services late Friday that, if ratified this weekend, could see them return to work Tuesday. Nurses at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital started picketing Monday in front of the hospitals as they demanded higher wages and additional staffing to help them cope with a coronavirus pandemic that has forced many to work long, stressful hours. (Mukherjee, 4/30)

Associated Press: US Black Doctors Say They Face Discrimination Based On Race
Dr. Dare Adewumi was thrilled when he was hired to lead the neurosurgery practice at an Atlanta-area hospital near where he grew up. But he says he quickly faced racial discrimination that ultimately led to his firing and has prevented him from getting permanent work elsewhere. His lawyers and other advocates say he's not alone, that Black doctors across the country commonly experience discrimination, ranging from microaggressions to career-threatening disciplinary actions. Biases, conscious or not, can become magnified in the fiercely competitive hospital environment, they say, and the underrepresentation of Black doctors can discourage them from speaking up. (Brumback, 5/1)

Bay Area News Group: Opposition Mounts As Newsom's Mental Health Care Overhaul Advances
Gov. Gavin Newsom is backing a sweeping proposal to overhaul California’s mental health care system and end homelessness for the sickest people living on our streets. But his plan to make treatment mandatory is facing pushback from opponents who argue it’s an inhumane and ineffective solution that will do little to solve the state’s homelessness crisis. Senate Bill 1338, dubbed Community Assistance, Recovery & Empowerment (CARE) Court, would allow California courts to order people with severe, untreated schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders to submit to a care plan. The goal is to help people who can’t help themselves — people who are wandering in traffic, shouting at no one, and bouncing between hospitals, jail and the streets. (Kendall, 5/2)

CalMatters: Community College Faculty Could Get Health Insurance Infusion
Part-time instructors at California’s community colleges have to work multiple jobs to make a living wage, but some still don’t have enough health insurance.   A state fund to aid them hasn’t been increased for decades from $490,000 a year, but now Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes to add $200 million annually. While the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says there’s no data to justify that spending, a union has collected survey information that could help the governor’s case. (Zinshteyn, 5/2)

The Bakersfield Californian: Bakersfield Family Seeks Change At Medical Board Of California 
A Bakersfield family is hoping its advocacy spurs changes at the Medical Board of California, a body that has undergone increased scrutiny. Tracy Dominguez, who lost her daughter Demi Dominguez and grandson Malakhi in April 2019 after alleged medical negligence, testified in April in favor of Assembly Bill 2060, which would create a majority of public members on the Medical Board. (Desai, 5/1)

San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD Trauma Doctors Say Migrant Injuries And Deaths Rose Sharply As The Border Wall Grew Taller 
On a foggy night in mid-March, several family members from the Mexican state of Michoacán followed smugglers’ instructions to climb the first of two border barriers to reach U.S. soil near San Diego. One of the women felt her grip slipping on the first fence from the moisture in the air as she struggled over. When she approached the second wall, looming 30 feet above her, she realized it would be impossible for her to get over safely. As she panicked, the smugglers told her to wait to the side for Border Patrol to get her so that other migrants could cross. (Morrissey, 4/29)

Modesto Bee: Medi-Cal Expands Coverage Regardless Of Immigration Status
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that, beginning May 1, the state’s low-income health insurance would extend full coverage to all qualifying people who are 50 or older, regardless of immigration status. The Medi-Cal expansion is expected to provide full coverage to more than 185,000 Californians, according to Newsom’s office. (Sheeler, 5/2)

CalMatters: California’s Youngest Children Need More Mental Health Support, Advocates Say In Request For Funding
While California has committed billions of dollars to support the mental health of K-12 students, little has been specifically dedicated to children 5 and younger. Advocates say it’s a need that needs to be addressed, and they are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside $250 million in the state budget to support the mental health of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents and caregivers. (Aguilera, 5/1)

Los Angeles Times: Is Politics Making People Sick? A Lot Of Young People Say So
A majority of young Americans, 52%, reported feeling “down, depressed, or hopeless” for several days or more during the prior two weeks, and nearly 1 in 4 have had recent thoughts of hurting themselves or that they would be “better off dead. ”Those indicators point to unusually high levels of mental or emotional strain, part of the youth mental health crisis that Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned of in a formal health advisory in December. From 2009 to 2019, the share of high school students who reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40%, to more than 1 in 3, Murthy reported. Between 2007 and 2018, the suicide rate among Americans aged 10 to 24 increased 57%. (Lauter, 4/29)

San Diego Union-Tribune: The Backstory: 72-Hour Multimedia Project Will Explore Mental Health Crisis In San Diego County 
Union-Tribune communities editor Tarcy Connors, managing editor Lora Cicalo, and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss an upcoming Union-Tribune multimedia project exploring the status of mental health in San Diego County. (5/1)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento, California Builds More ADU Housing Units 
More Sacramento residents are building Accessory Dwelling Units, long seen by housing advocates and elected officials as a potential solution to California’s housing affordability crisis. Last year, 170 ADUs were constructed in Sacramento, up from 76 the year before, according to Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s office. Applications to build the smaller units also increased significantly. (Lillis, 5/2)

CapRadio: South Sacramento Tiny Home Village For Homeless Residents Delayed After Neighborhood Opposition 
A project designed to house 125 homeless people at a tiny home village in South Sacramento stalled this week after dozens of neighbors spoke out against the plans during a county hearing. The delay comes two weeks after the county issued a media advisory suggesting the Board of Supervisors would approve the project at Florin and Power Inn roads. But supervisors, by a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, pushed back their decision until June saying the county had failed to do enough public outreach and citing neighborhood opposition. (Nichols, 4/29)

AP: Homeless Shelters Begin To See Value In Making Room For Pets 
Being homeless in Los Angeles and struggling with addiction is hard enough, but Rachel Niebur couldn't imagine enduring it without her dog Petey. Niebur credits her constant companion, an energetic black and white chihuahua mix, with helping her keep off drugs and giving her a reason to get up in the morning. “She needs me. She gives me my focus. I have to feed her. I have to walk her. It's a real relationship,” said Niebur, before following Petey to the small, fenced-in dog park on the grounds of the shelter in the Venice neighborhood where the inseparable pair have lived for about two years. (Weber, 5/2)

Fresno Bee: Fresno CA Allergies Affecting People More This Spring Season
It’s allergy season in the central San Joaquin Valley, and it may be hitting residents harder this year for multiple reasons, say doctors in Fresno. Recent weather has been all over the board, with warm days followed by cold snaps, and dry weather followed by rain showers. Add in the region’s high level of air pollution, and sneezes and coughs are sure to follow. Then there is the wild card of COVID-19, and the possibility that the sufferer’s affliction is the virus, not a simple allergy. (Guy, 5/1)

San Diego Union-Tribune: 'Boobless Wonders' Sisterhood Knits Together A National Community Of Breast Cancer Survivors
On the last Sunday of each month, 89-year-old Pat Anderson of Escondido gets together with the six other local senior women who make up her highly specialized knitting circle. But don’t let these ladies’ shared passion for knitting fool you into thinking they’re leisurely hobbyists. Anderson is the founder of the Sisterhood of the Boobless Wonders, a group of breast cancer survivors who over the past five years have knitted and given away nearly 2,500 pairs of Busters, which are breast-shaped pillowlike bra inserts for women who have lost breasts to mastectomy surgery. (Kragen, 5/2)

Los Angeles Times: An Old Toxic Dump Brings New Worries For Lincoln Heights 
In the summer of 1984, investigators peered into a cave dug beneath the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and found dozens of rusted 55-gallon barrels filled with toxic chemicals. Some of the barrels lay nearly empty after their contents had leaked through corroded metal and escaped into the soil. (Valdez, 4/30)