San Francisco Chronicle: SF Mayor London Breed Tests Positive For COVID-19
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has tested positive for the coronavirus, her office said in a statement Wednesday. She is vaccinated and boosted and feeling well, the statement said. She will be conducting meetings from home and will not attend any public events while isolating. (Moench, 6/22)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus County Confirms 18 Deaths Caused By COVID-19
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has crept up to 63 in Stanislaus County, with nine COVID patients in hospital intensive care units, as of Tuesday. The county remains at the medium community level for risk of COVID-19 illness, while 19 other counties in California are designated as “high” risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Test positivity in Stanislaus County is estimated at 14.63%, as the BA.2 omicron subvariant is dominant in the county. (Carlson, 6/22)

CNN: Covid: Omicron Subvariants BA.4 And BA.5 Escape Antibodies From Vaccination And Prior Infection, Studies Suggest 
Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 appear to escape antibody responses among both people who had previous Covid-19 infection and those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted, according to new data from researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, of Harvard Medical School. However, Covid-19 vaccination is still expected to provide substantial protection against severe disease, and vaccine makers are working on updated shots that might elicit a stronger immune response against the variants. (Howard, 6/23)

Bloomberg: Long Covid Affects One In Five Virus Patients, US Survey Finds
Almost one-fifth of US adults who have had Covid-19 are currently experiencing symptoms of long Covid that persist for at least three months, new federal data show. The results of a June survey by the US Census shed light on how frequently the virus’s symptoms linger beyond the initial period when people are acutely sick. More than one-third of US Covid patients reported ever having long Covid symptoms, and 19% said they currently were experiencing them. (Tozzi, 6/22)

Bloomberg: Long Covid Symptoms For Kids Can Last Two Months, Study Finds
The largest study of long Covid in children found kids can experience symptoms persisting at least two months, but researchers say the indirect effects of the pandemic probably carry a more lasting impact. Children who test positive for Covid are more likely to experience at least one long-lasting symptom than children who have never been diagnosed, according to findings published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal. But the study results can be seen as “reassuring,” Maren Rytter of the University of Copenhagen wrote in comments accompanying the data. (Paton, 6/22)

Los Angeles Daily News: Vaccines For Young Children Making Their Way Around LA County 
Lello Tesema‘s daughter, Semaye Mussie, was one of the first children younger than 5 to receive the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, June 22, at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s dispensing point at Ted Watkins Memorial Park, a longtime vaccination site in South Los Angeles. She had been waiting for a safe opportunity to vaccinate her 1-year-old. “The process was easy,” Tesema said. “The registration was quick and I liked that it was outdoors.” (Love, 6/22)

Sacramento Bee: California Dialysis Initiative Could Be Doomed From The Start
Once again, California’s largest healthcare workers union is campaigning for dialysis reform — but they face powerful opponents. It’s deja-vu for the California political scene, where such a battle transpires repeatedly. This time around, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West is advocating for a ballot initiative that would require a physician assistant, physician or nurse practitioner to monitor patient dialysis treatments. (Tucker-Smith, 6/22)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Gets $3M From State To Tackle Homelessness, Substance Abuse 
Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, highlighted Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Wednesday that Kern County would get $3.1 million to help people suffering from behavioral health issues, substance abuse and homelessness. The Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program distributed grant money to various counties. A news release noted the money provides services and housing options to people struggling with mental illness. (6/22)

Sacramento Bee: A Third Of Californians Live In Or Near Poverty. Advocates Say The Budget Must Do More 
California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom are in a fierce debate over several-hundred dollar gas rebates as budget negotiations approach the June 30 deadline. But with one-third of Californians living in or near poverty and one-time pandemic relief payments largely in the past, advocates say leaders must use the state’s record surpluses to create more support for low-income residents. (Tucker-Smith, 6/22)

ABC10.com: California March For Life: Abortion Protesters At The Capitol
It could be a matter of hours before the country learns whether the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. If a majority of justices decide to do so, it would effectively dismantle a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and put that decision in the hands of each individual state. Ahead of that, the California March for Life drew anti-abortion demonstrators to the Capitol Wednesday morning, where they held a rally and march. (Habegger, 6/22)

San Francisco Chronicle: Legal Scholars Worry Measure To Enshrine Abortion Rights In California Constitution Isn’t Clear Enough
With the Supreme Court apparently prepared to repeal the right to abortion it declared in 1973, California voters are likely to consider, and approve, a measure in November that would proclaim a right to abortion in the state Constitution. But some constitutional researchers at UC Berkeley say the proposal, as currently worded, may not protect abortion rights for long. SCA10, introduced by Democratic leaders soon after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade, breezed through the state Senate on a party-line 29-7 vote on Monday. It needs another two-thirds vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly by June 30 to make the November ballot, with polls showing a strong majority of state voters supporting a right to abortion. (Egelko, 6/22)

Los Angeles Times: Where Are California’s Dirtiest Beaches? This List Might Surprise You
After a catastrophic year of oil spills and sewage equipment failures, here’s some good news for the California coast: Most beaches across the state are still much cleaner than in decades past. In its annual “report card,” Heal the Bay graded more than 700 beaches and found that 94% of California’s beaches logged clean water-quality marks between April and October 2021, and that 51 beaches had perfect year-round scores — a good sign for a shoreline once riddled with so much trash and bacteria that people often got sick when they swam. (Xia, 6/22)

San Francisco Chronicle: Three Beaches In This Bay Area County Are Among Dirtiest In California
Three San Mateo County beaches are among California’s most polluted beaches, according to a list compiled by an environmental group. Erckenbrack Park, Marlin Park and Lakeshore Park all struggle to clear pollution, as they are “enclosed in an engineered patchwork of channels that do not allow much water circulation so pollution is not easily flushed away from the beaches,” the report, from Heal the Bay, states. (Galbraith, 6/22)

inewsource: Lawmakers Look To Help Veterans Village After Inewsource Investigation
Following inewsource’s investigation into Veterans Village of San Diego, state and federal lawmakers said they are working to address concerns about conditions at the nonprofit’s rehab center. State health officials are also investigating complaints against the treatment program. The reporting, published in four stories earlier this month, describes widespread substance use at the renowned drug and alcohol treatment center, as well as unsafe living conditions, violence on the campus, a severe staffing shortage, plummeting food quality and poor sanitation. (Castellano, 6/22)

San Francisco Chronicle: Judge OK’s Refunds For Customers In Lawsuit Accusing Roundup Weedkiller Manufacturer Of Concealing Cancer Risks
Buyers of Roundup herbicide products in recent years would be eligible for 20% refunds under a proposed nationwide settlement, tentatively approved by a federal judge, of a suit accusing Monsanto Co. of false advertising for failing to warn customers the product could cause cancer. The settlement is separate from the tens of thousands of lawsuits filed against Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer, by people diagnosed with cancer after spraying Roundup, the world’s most widely used weed-killer, on their crops. Bay Area juries have awarded damages totaling $133 million in three of those cases, and on Tuesday the Supreme Court denied review of Monsanto’s appeal of a $25.2 million award to one of those plaintiffs, a former school groundskeeper in Benicia. (Egelko, 6/22)

Index-Tribune: After Losing Son, Sonoma Parents Help Protect Teens’ Hearts
After suffering an unbearable loss when their 16-year-old son’s heart stopped in summer 2016, the parents of Michael Brindley set out to protect other teens from a similar fate. Almost six years to the day after Brindley’s death, their efforts helped save a teenager at Sonoma Valley High School. On June 15, a 17-year-old collapsed while playing basketball at the school. His friends took heroic action, performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator to keep his heart beating before help could arrive. (Charrier, 6/22)

NBC News: Woman, 2 Dogs Die After Being Struck By Lightning Near Los Angeles
A woman and her two dogs were killed in a lightning strike in the Los Angeles area Wednesday morning as thunderstorms rolled through Southern California, officials said. Antonia Mendoza Chavez, 52, was struck by lightning around 8:50 a.m. in Pico Rivera, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy Miguel Meza said. (Helsel, 6/23)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Police Release Photo Of ‘Person Of Interest’ In Fatal Shooting On Muni Train
One person was killed and another injured Wednesday morning following a shooting inside a Muni train between the system’s Forest Hill and Castro stations, District Seven Supervisor Myrna Melgar said on Twitter. Melgar, citing information she received from the San Francisco Police Department, said the shooter ran out of the train at the Castro Station and was still at large, but stressed that police were not handling the incident as an active shooter situation. “We have too many guns out there,” Melgar said in a follow-up tweet. “Too, too many.” (Cassidy, 6/22)

CNN: Guns: Senate Will Take Critical Vote To Advance Bipartisan Bill Toward Final Passage
The Senate is poised to take a critical vote on Thursday to advance a major bipartisan gun safety bill toward final passage. The vote is expected to succeed with Republican support, putting the legislation on a path to pass the Senate as soon as this week. The bipartisan gun deal represents the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades. It includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, a victory for Democrats, who have long fought for that. (Foran, Fox, Zaslav and Barrett, 6/23)

The Hill: House Fails To Pass Bill Creating Active Shooter Alert System 
The House on Wednesday failed to pass a bill that sought to create a communications network that would alert people when an active shooter is in their community. The legislation, dubbed the Active Shooter Alert Act, was considered under suspension, a process that allows legislation to be passed quickly with two-thirds support. The bill did not reach that threshold, failing in a 259-162 vote despite having bipartisan sponsorship — 16 Republicans helped introduce the legislation. (Schnell, 6/22)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA To Order Juul E-Cigarettes Off U.S. Market 
The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to order Juul Labs Inc. to take its e-cigarettes off the U.S. market, according to people familiar with the matter. The FDA could announce its decision as early as this week, the people said. The marketing denial order would follow a nearly two-year review of data presented by the vaping company, which sought authorization for its tobacco- and menthol-flavored products to stay on the U.S. market. (Maloney, 6/22)

AP: US Boosts Monkeypox Testing, 142 Cases Confirmed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending tests to labs, including Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare, which it said would significant expand the nation’s health system’s capacity to test for monkeypox. Previously, testing has largely been confined to public health labs, which combined have a capacity of about 8,000 tests per week. “All Americans should be concerned about monkeypox cases,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. (Miller, 6/22)

AP: CDC Panel Recommends US Seniors Get Souped-Up Flu Vaccines
Americans 65 and older should get newer, souped-up flu vaccines because regular shots don’t provide them enough protection, a federal advisory panel said Wednesday. The panel unanimously recommended certain flu vaccines that might offer more or longer protection for seniors, whose weakened immune systems don’t respond as well to traditional shots. (Stobbe, 6/22)

Los Angeles Times: Many Use Philips Respironics Ventilators Despite Recall
In Rochester, N.Y., Diane Coleman has relied on a machine to help her stay alive, but she worries that it might be slowly undermining her health. Her ventilator was among millions of breathing devices that Philips Respironics recalled last summer over safety concerns about numerous models of its ventilators, BiPAP and CPAP machines. (Reyes, 6/23)