The Mercury News: Suspected Half Moon Bay Killer Expected To Be Charged On Seven Counts Of Murder, Firearm Enhancements
The man accused of killing seven Half Moon Bay farmworkers made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, staying largely silent and attempting to shield his face with a piece of paper from a courtroom packed with onlookers. As prosecutors unfurled a laundry list of charges, authorities revealed the names of the seven victims. Wearing a red jail jumpsuit and seated behind glass, Chunli Zhao, 66, only uttered one word, “yes,” through a Mandarin interpreter when San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Susan Jakubowski asked to confirm his name. (Rodgers, Kamisher and Turner, 1/25)

Los Angeles Times: Half Moon Bay Shootings Suspect 'Snapped,' Sheriff Says 
The 66-year-old farmworker accused of fatally shooting seven of his co-workers and wounding another “snapped” because of a still-unknown grievance against some of the people among whom he had lived and worked for years, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. Chunli Zhao remained in jail a day after he allegedly opened fire on workers at two farms in Half Moon Bay, a coastal agricultural community south of San Francisco. (Hernandez, Rust, Petri and Castleman, 1/25)

The Mercury News: Farmworkers Share Account Of Start Of Half Moon Bay Rampage
Erlin Ortiz and her sister Miriam had just finished their shift packing mushrooms at the California Terra Gardens farm and were sitting in their car ready to run an errand when the horror unfolded before them. Right next to the greenhouses, co-worker Chunli Zhao — his back to them — pulled a gun from his red knapsack and pointed it at a fellow Chinese farmworker, shouting in his native Mandarin something they didn’t understand. Desperately, step by step, the farmworker backed up, Ortiz said, covering his face with his arms. But the gunman shot him anyway. (Sulek, Toledo, Kendall and Koong, 1/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Half Moon Bay Shooting Highlights Poor Conditions On Farms
Workers killed in a massacre at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay on Monday worked for low wages and were living in conditions the San Mateo County district attorney described as “squalor.” Local nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar visited one of the farms, California Terra Garden, regularly to provide workers and their families with food and supplies, “because of the high cost of living and the low income that they make,” said Executive Director Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga. (Bollag, Kadvany, Mishanec and Flores, 1/25)

Los Angeles Daily News: Vice President Harris Visits Monterey Park; Meets With Victims’ Families
Vice President Kamala Harris, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, visited the scene of the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County’s history to meet with the families of 11 people killed and another nine injured in Monterey Park. Harris placed flowers — a large bouquet made up of white roses, yellow lilies, and palm fronds wrapped in white — on a memorial at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where the deadly attack took place late Saturday. (Cain, Hutchings, Holshouser and Lykke, 1/25)

Los Angeles Times: Motive In Monterey Park Mass Shooting Continues To Elude Investigators
In the four days since 72-year-old Huu Can Tran opened fire at a Monterey Park dance studio, fragments of his life and possible motives for the attack have slowly emerged. He at one time frequented the ballroom dance scene but appeared to have personal grievances against some in that world. He lived a somewhat isolated life. A law enforcement source confirmed to The Times that Tran was a gun enthusiast who purchased the semiautomatic MAC-10 assault weapon used in the attack in 1999. (Winton, Fry, Rainey and Wick, 1/25)

AP: Sheriff: Gunman Didn't Know Monterey Park Dance Hall Victims
The 72-year-old gunman who sprayed bullets into a Southern California ballroom dance hall, killing 11 people, had no known connection with the victims and investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the massacre, the Los Angeles County sheriff said. Before the shooting Saturday night, Huu Can Tran parked a motorcycle just a block away from the ballroom in Monterey Park, which investigators believe he had planned to use as a backup getaway vehicle, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news conference Wednesday hours after police seized the motorcycle. (Dazio, Taxin and Melley, 1/26)

Los Angeles Daily News: LA County Supervisors Move To Stop ‘Insensitive’ Sale Of Guns By Probation Department 
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion on Tuesday, Jan. 24, stopping the practice by the county’s Probation Department of selling surplus guns in an online auction. In a last-minute item proposed by First District Supervisor Hilda Solis, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the motion which asked the Internal Services Department to pursue a ban of future sales of firearms and ammunition by county departments. (Scauzillo, 1/25)

Reuters: Half Of U.S. Mass Attacks Sparked By Personal, Workplace Disputes, Report Finds
Half of the mass attacks in the United States from 2016-2020 were sparked by personal, domestic or workplace disputes, according to a new U.S. Secret Service report that aims to prevent violence by identifying warning signs. The attackers were overwhelmingly men, often with histories of mental health symptoms, financial insecurity or engaging in domestic violence. Guns were typically the weapon of choice. (1/25)

The Washington Post: Many Mass Attackers Motivated By Personal And Work Grievances, Report Says
The report, released by the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center on Wednesday, examined 173 targeted attacks carried out by 180 perpetrators between 2016 and 2020 in public or semipublic locations. It defines a mass attack as an act of violence in which three or more people, excluding the perpetrator, were killed or injured. The researchers found that three-quarters of the perpetrators had displayed behaviors or communicated in a way that concerned others before the attack. About 29 percent of attackers were described either by themselves or others as “withdrawn, loners or anti-social,” the report said, and more than half had experienced mental health symptoms before the attack. (Cho, 1/26)

ABC News: As US Reels From Multiple Mass Shootings, Can Loneliness Be A Trigger For Violence? 
There is a loneliness epidemic in the United States -- and it experts told ABC News it may be triggering violence. In California, there have been three shootings in as many days, tied to a perpetrator who may have exhibited signs of social isolation and/or violent behavior, according to authorities. In Monterey Park, police documents revealed the 72-year-old suspect had been divorced from his wife since 2006, lived alone in Hemet -- about 30 miles Southeast of Riverside -- and was angry and resentful. (Kekatos, 1/26)

Los Angeles Times: Two Mass Shootings In Three Days. Are These Copycat Crimes? 
Do a pair of back-to-back mass shootings in California suggest that older men will be the next generation of mass murderers? Don’t count on it, experts say. The 72-year-old who killed 11 people in Monterey Park and the 66-year-old who’s alleged to have murdered seven near Half Moon Bay may have committed the crimes within 48 hours and 400 miles of each other. But they are likely to remain outliers in a mounting tally of younger perpetrators. (Healy, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Mass Shootings Add To Bay Area Asian Americans’ Years Of Pandemic Trauma
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Cynthia Choi went to bed hopeful. Before going to sleep, she sent out a tweet: “I am all in for a year of calm, kindness and peace.” The next morning, Choi woke up to the news of the Monterey Park (Los Angeles County) mass shooting, where 11 Asian Americans were killed at a dance studio. (Li, Hao and Cano, 1/25)

CBS News: Heart-Related Deaths Rose Sharply During First Year Of COVID-19 Pandemic, Report Shows
The annual pace of Americans dying from cardiovascular-related causes accelerated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic to the worst it has been since 2015, according to final figures gathered this month by the American Heart Association. (Tin, 1/25)

NBC News: Could Getting Covid Raise Cholesterol?
Covid may increase the risk for high cholesterol for up to a year after infection, two recent studies suggest, prompting some doctors to take a closer look at the apparent trend. "It's something that we need to pay more attention to," said Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a cardiologist with the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation section at the Cleveland Clinic, adding that the latest research is "provocative." (Edwards, 1/25)

Reuters: Roche Launches New Test To Detect Fast Spreading Omicron Sub-Variant
Roche has launched a new PCR test to detect a fast-spreading sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday. The new test specifically targets the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant and will help researchers closely track the virus’s lineage and provide insights into the epidemiology and impact it has on public health, the company added. (1/26)

The New York Times: N.I.H. Did Not Properly Track A Group Studying Coronaviruses, Report Finds 
The National Institutes of Health made significant errors in its oversight of grants to a nonprofit group that has come under fire from congressional Republicans for its research collaborations in China, an internal federal watchdog agency said on Wednesday. The findings, outlined in a 64-page report describing missed deadlines, confusing protocols and misspent funds, reinforced concerns about the federal government’s system for monitoring research with potentially risky pathogens. (Mueller and Stolberg, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Infection Risk From COVID Variant XBB.1.5 Cut In Half By New Booster
The updated COVID-19 boosters cut the risk of getting sick from newer omicron subvariants, including the fast-spreading XBB.1.5 strain, by about half. In the first study of the shots’ real-world effectiveness, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the bivalent vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna continue to protect against the coronavirus despite its evolving evasiveness. (Vaziri, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Study Finds Vaccines Safe And Effective For Kids
In a meta-analysis of 17 studies of nearly 11 million vaccinated children, a global team of researchers found that COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5 to 11 years was associated with lower risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-related illnesses and hospitalizations due to COVID illnesses. (Vaziri, 1/25)

Politico: California Enacts New Abortion Laws, Expecting Copycats 
Nurses at the low-slung maze-like student health complex at the University of California, Santa Barbara work year-round to make sure the shelves of their in-house pharmacy remain stocked with antivirals, painkillers and antibiotics for the tens of thousands of students they serve. This month, they were required to have two more drugs on hand: mifepristone and misoprostol — the regimen that induces an abortion. (Ollstein, 1/25)

CapRadio: California Allocates $20M Toward Abortion Clinics’ Physical, Digital Security
California is allocating $20 million in grant money for abortion care facilities across the state to bolster their physical and digital security. Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer by the U.S. Supreme Court, statistics from the National Abortion Federation show incidents of violence against staff and disruption of clinic operations have increased over the past 10 years. In November of last year, California voters approved an amendment enshrining the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution. However, Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the state’s Office of Emergency Services, says increased hostility nationally has led to an uptick in online threats from violent domestic extremists. (Wolffe, 1/25)

Axios: House Dems Set To Introduce Bill To Allow Federal Funding To Cover Abortion
House Democrats today are set to introduce a largely symbolic bill that would lift longstanding government restrictions on the use of federal funds to cover abortions. ... If enacted, "low income people, who are primarily Black and brown, would have the same access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion care," Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus and and lead lawmaker introducing the bill, told Axios. (Gonzalez, 1/26)

Politico: Pair Of Lawsuits Kick Off State-Federal Battle Over Abortion Pills
A widely anticipated legal battle over whether federal policies supersede state laws began Wednesday with a pair of lawsuits seeking to stop restrictions on abortion pills in two states. The challenges — targeting laws in North Carolina and West Virginia that block patients from receiving abortion pills by mail or from retail pharmacies or ban the use of the pills entirely — will likely have national implications, as more than a dozen states have imposed laws limiting how, when and where patients can obtain abortion pills. (Ollstein and Gardner, 1/25)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente Executive Julie Miller-Phipps To Retire
Julie Miller-Phipps will retire as president of Kaiser Permanente's southern California and Hawaii operations in July, marking an end to her 45-year career with the integrated health system, the company announced Tuesday. (Berryman, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Hearst Foundations Announce Major Grants To Bay Area Nonprofits
Together, the foundations “act as a unified national philanthropic resource for nonprofit organizations and institutions working in the fields of education, health, culture and social service,” they stated in a press release. “Their work helps to ensure that people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.” (Whiting, 1/25)

The Hill: Google Lays Off In-House Massage Therapists In Latest Round Of Job Cuts: Report 
More than two dozen in-house massage therapists were part of the latest round of layoffs that happened at Google last week. According to filings reported by CNBC on Tuesday, 27 in-house massage therapists were among the 1,845 employees to lose their jobs with the company in the state of California. (Oshin, 1/25)

The Hill: A Record Of Over 16 Million People Signed Up For Insurance Through Obamacare 
More than 16.3 million people enrolled in a health plan through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the most recent open enrollment period, marking the highest number of enrollees since the program was signed into law 10 years ago. This record amount of enrollments occurred between Nov. 1 and Jan. 15 and represented nearly 2 million more people than the number that enrolled the previous year. According to the White House, 3.6 million people, or 22 percent of those who signed up in this enrollment period, were new to the Marketplace. (Choi, 1/25)

CNN: ACA Sign-Ups Soar To Record 16.3 Million For 2023
Sign-ups on the federal exchange, healthcare.gov, have skyrocketed nearly 50% since the Biden administration took office in 2021, thanks in large part to enhanced federal premium subsidies and increased outreach efforts. Plan selections are up 13% from this time last year. ... The spike in coverage helped drive the nation’s uninsured rate to an all-time low of 8% in the first quarter of 2022. (Luhby, 1/25)

The New York Times: Obamacare Sign-Ups Top 16 Million For 2023, Setting Another Record 
President Biden cheered the development in a statement, saying, “Today, we received further proof that our efforts are delivering record-breaking results.” The Biden administration has taken other steps to encourage enrollment in the plans, including increasing advertising and enrollment assistance and providing a longer window for sign-ups than during President Donald J. Trump’s administration. But it appears the money is mattering more than anything else. (Sanger-Katz, 1/25)

Sacramento Bee: California Bill Empowers Counties To Create Homeless Death Review Committees
Too often, the death of a homeless person passes without notice. A California lawmaker has proposed a bill that would empower county governments to take notice, and to better coordinate the services they offer to local homeless populations. Assembly Bill 271, by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, authorizes — but does not require — counties to establish homeless death review committees to identify the root causes of homeless mortality and to improve coordination of services for that population, according to a legislative summary of the bill. (Sheeler, 1/25)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Extends Eviction Moratorium By 2 Months
With Los Angeles County’s pandemic eviction moratorium set to lapse in days, the Board of Supervisors has voted to extend the countywide renters protections once more. The moratorium will now expire at the end of March. This, county leaders say, will be the last time they push the end date. (Ellis, 1/25)

Los Angeles Times: Rand Finds Homelessness Up In L.A. Hot Spots Instead Of Decreases
In a bit of welcome news that was immediately met with skepticism, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported last summer that homelessness appeared to be leveling off. After climbing nearly 23% in two years, the county’s street population grew only an additional 5% during two years of pandemic, the 2022 point-in-time count found, deflecting worries that economic stress would drive large numbers of people from their homes. (Smith, 1/26)

Sacramento Bee: Proposed Bill Would Ban Homeless People From Schools, Parks
Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, has introduced legislation that would prohibit homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools, daycare centers, parks, and libraries. Assembly Bill 257 is one of the first measures proposed by Hoover, who was elected last November in a tight race with then-incumbent Assemblyman Ken Cooley. (Hatch, 1/25)

The Washington Post: In Wake Of Baby Formula Crisis, Top FDA Food Safety Official Frank Yiannas Resigns 
Less than two months after an outside group offered a scathing indictment of the Food and Drug Administration’s structure and culture and recommended major restructuring, the agency’s top food safety official resigned, citing shortcomings in the FDA’s ability to handle foodborne illness crises, including the recent baby formula shortage. Frank Yiannas, the deputy commissioner for the office of food policy and response, will leave his post next month, he wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf on Wednesday. “The decentralized structure of the foods program that you and I both inherited significantly impaired FDA’s ability to operate as an integrated food team and protect the public,” Yiannas wrote in the letter obtained by The Washington Post. (Reiley and Bogage, 1/25)

USA Today: What Causes SIDS? Genetics Study Suggests It's More Than Unsafe Sleep
The cause of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, continues to be a medical mystery but a new study suggests genetics may play a role. Over the course of 39 years, researchers found siblings of infants who died of SIDS had a four-fold higher risk of dying suddenly compared to the general population, according to the report published in JAMA Network Open. (Rodriguez, 1/25)

Los Angeles Daily News: LAPD To Consider Adding A ‘Cooldown’ To Tasers Preventing Multiple Shocks After Death Of Keenan Anderson 
The Los Angeles Police Department will consider whether its stun guns should be modified to prevent repeated firings of the devices after an officer shocked a man with one six times in less than a minute during a traffic stop earlier this month, with the man dying in a hospital hours later. Chief Michel Moore in Tuesday’s Police Commission meeting told commissioners he was looking in to whether LAPD could outfit its Tasers with technology that would limit the number of times an officer could fire the weapon. (Cain, 1/24)

Los Angeles Times: Untreated Sewage Closes Three Beaches In Los Angeles County
The release of 64,000 gallons of untreated sewage prompted the closures of several Los Angeles County beaches Wednesday, public health officials said. A blocked main line led to the sewage entering the storm drain system near Admiralty and Palawan ways in Marina del Rey, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a news release. (Martinez, 1/25)

CalMatters: California Dumps Toxic Waste In States With Weaker Laws
A CalMatters investigation finds that environmentally stringent California sends nearly half its toxic waste across its borders, often to states with weaker rules. One of the biggest out-of-state dumpers: the state’s own hazardous waste watchdog. (Lewis, 1/25)