NBC Bay Area: Thousands Of Nurses At Stanford Health Care, Packard Children’s Hospital On Strike
About 5,000 nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford were on the picket lines Monday morning, after the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) announced a strike Sunday evening. CRONA said 93% of eligible nurses voted to authorize the strike. (4/24)

KTVU: Thousands Of Stanford Nurses Strike Over Burnout, Exhaustion Issues
About 5,000 nurses at Stanford and Packard Children's Hospital will go on strike Monday over a fight for what they describe as fair contracts.  The labor contracts expired on March 31.  In a news release, members of the nurse’s union, called the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, say they want Stanford and Packard to solve the burnout and exhaustion that’s driving many nurses to reconsider their professions. (Quintana, 4/25)

Bay Area News Group: Stanford Nurses Announce Strike
A union representing nurses at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital announced that it will begin a strike Monday, in advance of a formal bargaining session on Tuesday with hospital representatives. According to a statement Sunday evening, about 93 percent of eligible nurses authorized the strike, which the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) will use to set up a picket line and hold a 9 a.m. Monday press conference outside Stanford Hospital along Welch Road at Pasteur Drive. (Kelly, 4/24)

Mother Jones: I’m A Nurse At A Stanford Hospital. I’m Burned Out, Fed Up, And Ready To Strike. 
Mother Jones spoke to a nurse who works in the pediatric ICU at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford about the working conditions leading up to this moment. Below, she describes in her own words what understaffing in her unit actually looks like, and how, on top of that, she and her colleagues have seen an unbearable number of child deaths in the last year, both due to Covid and not. Due to concern about retaliation, she asked to remain anonymous. Her account has been edited and condensed for clarity. (Mogensen, 4/24)

Los Angeles Times: Why Is L.A. County Requiring Masks Again At Airports, Transit? 
A new health officer order in Los Angeles County that went into effect today has the nation’s most populous county again enacting COVID-19 rules more stringent than the state’s or nation’s. So why is L.A. County again requiring mask use at its airports and on public transit, including trains, buses, subway stations, taxis, Ubers and Lyfts? (Lin II, Money and Reyes, 4/22)

Bay City News Service: Starting Monday, San Francisco Will No Longer Require Masks At Public Meetings
Starting Monday, masks to protect against the transmission of COVID-19 will no longer be required in public commission and board hearing rooms in San Francisco city facilities, city officials said Friday. City employees and members of the public who want to continue to wear masks are encouraged to do so. The masking requirement while in City Hall and other city buildings was dropped March 18, except for in-session meetings. Now that requirement will be relaxed, too. (4/23)

CapRadio: A UCSF Doctor Calculates The Risk Of Not Masking Up In Public Transit 
This week has seen a major shift in where and when masks must be worn to reduce COVID-19 spread, following a court ruling out of Florida. In its wake, airlines, airports and many public transit systems have announced they’ll no longer require passengers to mask up. That includes the Sacramento International Airport and SacRT. This might have you wondering about navigating public spaces in the coming weeks and months, especially if you’re traveling. UC San Francisco Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine Dr. Robert Wachter discussed his risk calculations with CapRadio’s Randol White. (White, 4/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Disability Advocates Press For Greater Empathy After Recent Strike Down Of Federal Mask Mandate 
While some rejoice, others are confused and dismayed. The federal mask mandate, which was set to expire April 18 and extended to May 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was struck down by a federal judge last week. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice appealed that ruling based on guidance from the CDC. “It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health,” the agency said in a statement. “CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.” (Deaderick, 4/24)

Bay Area News Group: Oakland: People's Convoy Truckers Protest At Lawmaker's Home
The Bay Area lawmaker who found herself the subject of a protest Friday in the city’s Rockridge neighborhood was at home when a large group of trucks and vans arrived to her street, representatives said. East Bay Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks called law enforcement to her house for protection as about 20 drivers blasted their horns and crowded the roadway, demanding that Wicks come out to face them. The demonstration was apparently inspired by the People’s Convoy movement in Canada, which has been led mostly by truckers who oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates. (Mukherjee, 4/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: After California Postponed Its COVID Vaccine Mandate For Kids, Experts Ponder: Will Shots Ever Be Required?
For a few weeks last fall, mandates that would require all K-12 students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were becoming ubiquitous. Dozens of districts across California said they would soon put in place such orders, in some cases as early as January this year. Even before the first vaccines had been authorized for children under age 12, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans for a statewide mandate that officials hoped would go into effect this July, on the assumption they’d be formally approved by then. (Allday, 4/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Pandemic Problems: So Where Exactly Do I Need Proof Of COVID Vaccination In The Bay Area These Days?
Looking into it, I found that at this point in the pandemic, vaccination requirements are a patchwork of public and private rules. But generally in the Bay Area, you don’t need to pull your vaccine card from your wallet or produce verification on your phone nearly as often as you did last year. (4/25)

Bay Area News Group: COVID-19 Cases Are Rising Sharply Again -- Should We Worry?
Here we go again? COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising once again across the country, driven by more contagious sub-variants of the virus and leaving health experts unsure whether vaccination and immunity from prior infection will be protective enough to prevent yet another deadly wave of infections. (Woolfolk, 4/24)

Orange County Register: OC ICUs’ COVID-19 Cases Far From Surge Highs, But Is It Too Soon To Get Hopes Up? 
On one day in January, COVID-19 sent 207 very sick people to Orange County intensive care units.  But four months later — in mid-April — it seemed like an alternate universe. There were just eight COVID-19 cases in Orange County ICUs. But as last week wore on, ICU cases crept up to 10, and then to 14. It seems almost dangerous to get too excited about this. But the precipitous dive in really sick people has been repeated in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and in California as a whole: The Golden State had a stunning 2,609 folks in ICUs on Jan. 25, and just 141 — repeat, just 141 — in ICUs on April 18, according to state data. (Sforza, 4/24)

NBC News: Covid Was Third Leading Cause Of Death In U.S. Again In 2021
For the second year in a row, Covid was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday. Covid was the underlying cause of more than 415,000 deaths in 2021, or 13 percent of the national total, the report found. That's an increase from 10 percent in 2020. Per capita, Covid death rates increased among every age group in 2021 except those 85 and older. (Bendix, 4/22)

CNBC: Covid Was The Third Leading Cause Of Death In The U.S. Last Year, With Only Heart Disease And Cancer Killing More
Only heart disease and cancer killed more people than Covid in 2021, taking the lives of about 693,000 and 604,000 people, respectively. Unintentional injuries were the fourth leading cause of death, killing more than 219,000 people. Though the U.S. began rolling out the vaccines in early 2021, many people did not and still have not gotten their shots. The delta variant also swept the nation in 2021, causing more severe illness than other Covid variants, according to the CDC. (Kimball, 4/22)

CapRadio: Advocates Are Pushing For A Health Equity And Racial Justice Fund In California. Here’s What It Would Do
Cultiva La Salud is part of a coalition of 25 legislators, 11 co-sponsors and almost 200 organizations asking Gov. Gavin Newsom set aside at least $100 million in ongoing funding in his upcoming budget proposal for the Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund. The fund, which had gained some traction in 2021 but was ultimately not included in the state budget, would be used as a source for grants to tribes and community-based organizations addressing public health, from supporting transportation solutions to preventing gun violence — part of what advocates say are social determinants of health. (Salanga, 4/22)

The Bakersfield Californian: Downtown Elementary Raises More Than $15K To Benefit The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 
Downtown Elementary held a check presentation ceremony Friday afternoon for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in support of Downtown kindergartner Devland Allen. The school held a Penny War during its Spirit Week just before spring break looking to raise around $5,000, according to a Bakersfield City School District news release. But it ended up raising more than three times that — $15,434.62. (4/23)

Voice of San Diego: Why National City’s Drinking Water Turned Yellow 
National City resident Ramel Wallace thought maybe he just forgot to flush the toilet on Thursday night. Come Friday, faucets in the sink, kitchen and shower all spilled apple juice-colored water, he said. Wallace went straight to a National City Facebook group to crowd-source the reason and saw neighbors posted about the issue. “A lot of people thought they were tripping,” said Wallace, who said he’s lived in National City for five years.  (Elmer, 4/19)

Los Angeles Times: Big Tobacco Stokes Fear Of Menthol Ban In Black Communities 
He was there at the invitation of tobacco maker Reynolds American to urge representatives not to ban menthol cigarettes, the flavor of choice for the vast majority of Black smokers. Using the specter of Floyd’s tragic death and the social justice protests it inspired, Harris suggested that prohibiting menthol cigarettes would increase policing in Black communities and create a new layer of racism in America. That message echoed through the third day of the annual gathering of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Atlanta. Harris did not mention that he serves as chair of the board of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, an organization that in 2019 received a third of its funds from Reynolds American. (Baumgaerner, Stockton and Lindsay, 4/25)

AP: Plan To Ban Menthol Cigarettes Prompts Late Lobbying Blitz
As federal officials finalize a long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes, dozens of interest groups have met with White House staffers to try to influence the process, which has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives while wiping out billions in tobacco sales. Biden administration officials have heard from tobacco lobbyists, anti-smoking advocates, civil rights groups, small business owners and conservative think tanks. The lobbying push underscores the far-reaching impacts of banning menthol, which accounts for over one-third of the U.S. cigarette market. (Perrone, 4/22)

Reveal: The Disinformation Campaign Behind A Top Pregnancy Website 
If you happen to be a pregnant person with questions – say, about the foods you should avoid, how big your developing fetus is or when your morning sickness might finally abate – your online research may lead you to the cheerful and informative website of the American Pregnancy Association. In addition to providing answers to expectant parents, the site offers a wealth of other resources: advice about how to improve fertility, a due-date calculator and even a hotline for pregnancy questions. For those seeking medical expertise about all things gestation-related, the American Pregnancy Association seems to be a one-stop shop. The group describes itself as “a national health organization committed to promoting reproductive and pregnancy wellness through education, support, advocacy, and community awareness.” (Butler, 4/22)

Voice of San Diego: A Senior Care Charity Sold Its Property For A Fraction Of Its Worth. Its Leaders’ Friends Got Rich. 
The house on the corner of Oak Hill Drive and Boyle Avenue – with its bunches of bougainvillea crawling along a chain-link fence – looks like any another cozy single-family home in Escondido. But 1385 Oak Hill Dr is more than it seems. Until recently, a charity owned the property. Two local developers, both friends of the charity’s executives, bought the home in quick succession and each sold it for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they paid. The story of that charity, Affordable Senior Housing Foundation, and 1385 Oak Hill Dr. reveals the sometimes short distance between for-profit and nonprofit companies – and the questions that can arise when large profits result from the company’s transactions. (Huntsberry, 4/25)

Sacramento Bee: Sierra Club Links American River Fires To Sacramento Homeless
The Sierra Club’s Sacramento chapter is asking city and county officials to move hundreds of homeless residents along the American River Parkway into shelters and safe ground spaces, citing an increase in wildfires it says are often tied to homeless camps. In a report and letter sent to city and county leaders Thursday, the environmental group points to an analysis it put together using public records from fire departments covering the parkway. With 156 fires last year, the parkway saw three times as many fires as in 2019, the report states. (Riley, 4/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: One Artist’s Garage Eviction Is A Cautionary Tale Of The Shifting Bay Area Housing Crisis
After losing the eviction case on the grounds that his use of the space created a nuisance, Rojo has just over a month to find a new home for himself and his business. Advocates see the case as a cautionary tale about San Francisco’s deepening affordability crisis. Expensive regions like the Bay Area are famous for rentals of illegal or pseudo-legal spaces, and artists have long lived in warehouses and other fringe housing. But Rojo’s case highlights fears about more renters being forced to downsize from apartments to rented rooms to unstable arrangements with no legal protections — a spiral researchers call being “precariously housed” or “couch homeless,” where renters lack stable housing but aren’t on the street. (Hepler, 4/24)