The Associated Press: California To Require Advanced Notice On Hikes In Drug Costs
Drug companies doing business in California will soon have to notify the public two months in advance of dramatic price spikes under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. California's legislation marks one of the strictest drug-price transparency laws in the country, as states move to shine a spotlight on rapidly rising costs in the hopes of enticing drugmakers to keep them down. (Ronayne, 10/9)

The Wall Street Journal: California Governor Signs Bill Requiring Greater Drug Price Transparency
The law, which drew bipartisan legislative support and Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown signed Monday, requires that, starting Jan. 1, 2019, companies give a 60-day notice if list prices of drugs are raised more than 16% in a two-year period. The law applies to drugs with a wholesale price of more than $40 for a 30-day supply. Health plans and insurers would also have to file annual reports outlining how drug costs affect health-care premiums in the state. (Armental, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: Californians Will Get More Information On What’s Driving Prescription Drug Prices Under Law Signed By Governor
Supporters call the law the nation’s most sweeping effort to make prescription drug pricing more transparent. The measure would require drugmakers to provide notice to health plans and other purchasers 60 days in advance of a planned price hike if the increase exceeds certain thresholds. The measure, SB 17 by state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa), will also require health plans to submit an annual report to the state that details the most frequently prescribed drugs, those that are most expensive and those that have been subject to the greatest year-to-year price increase. (Mason, 10/9)

California Healthline: New Law Challenges ‘Evils’ Of Pharma Profits, California Governor Claims
“Californians have a right to know why their medical costs are out of control, especially when pharmaceutical profits are soaring,” Brown said. “This measure is a step at bringing transparency, truth, exposure to a very important part of our lives. That is the cost of prescription drugs.” (Dembosky, 10/9)

Sacramento Bee: Drug Price Measure Signed By Jerry Brown
Brown, in a signing ceremony in his office, said Californians have a right to know why their medical costs are “out of control, especially when pharmaceutical profits are soaring.” “That’s the takeaway message,” Brown said, lamenting the growing inequities in California and throughout the country. (Cadelago, 10/9)

KPCC: Gov. Brown Signs First Of Its Kind Drug Transparency Bill 
During a press conference that ended with the governor signing the measure, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) called it one of the most comprehensive bills in the country. The chair of the senate health committee ended his remarks by challenging Washington lawmakers. "I want to challenge our federal officials to do the same thing at a national level," said Hernandez. "So that we can make sure that every single person in this country, not only has access to health care, but that they can afford their health care." (Faust, 10/9)

Politico Pro: California's New Drug Law Could Serve As Template For Other States
Gov. Jerry Brown, in a rare bill-signing ceremony on Monday, approved drug legislation that doesn't directly affect prices but is designed to keep costs in check by requiring drug manufacturers to give purchasers advance notice when they significantly raise prices and making them justify the hike. Advocates see Senate Bill 17 not just as a rare blow to the pharmaceutical industry, but also as a pushback by the country's most populous state against inaction in Washington D.C. and against inequities fueled by special-interest groups and powerful lobbying entities. (Colliver, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: Gov. Jerry Brown Vetoes Measure To Create New State Task Force On Opioid Prescriptions
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a measure on Monday that sought to curb escalating opioid addiction rates by creating a new state working group tasked with determining best practices in prescribing addictive drugs. The measure, Assembly Bill 715 by Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), would have directed the state Department of Public Health to convene doctors, opioid addiction specialists and other experts to examine how painkillers are being prescribed to treat acute, short-term pain. (Mason, 10/9)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Santa Rosa Hospitals, Care Facilities Evacuated In Fire’s Path
In the face of onrushing flames, medical personnel evacuated patients from two Santa Rosa hospitals early Monday, while other health care facilities moved residents out of harm’s way. Patients were evacuated from the Kaiser Permanente hospital on Bicentennial Avenue as the adjacent Journey’s End Mobile Home Park became a raging inferno. Patients in need of medical support were relocated by ambulance, while those who were not critically ill were transported in private buses, said Joe Fragola, a San Francisco-based Kaiser spokesman said in a statement. The majority of patients was taken to Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael, while others were sent to Kaiser facilities in San Francisco and Oakland and local community hospitals, he said. (Espinoza and Kovner, 10/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Cannabis Harvests Threatened By Sonoma County’s Tubbs Fire
California marijuana growers north of San Francisco faced mandatory evacuation orders as well as potentially tens of millions of dollars in crop damage and loss amid widespread wildfires in Wine Country and surrounding areas. There might be anywhere from 3,000 to 9,000 cannabis gardens in Sonoma County, according to county surveys. (Downs, 10/9)

KPBS: San Diego Launches Campground For The Homeless 
The city of San Diego on Monday opened a camping area for people who are homeless, with 24-hour security, bathrooms and storage. The 136-space facility was set up in the parking lot of the city operations yard in Golden Hill, just south of the Balboa Park Golf Course. (Murphy, 10/9)

In other public health news —

KPCC: How SoCal Trauma Centers Prepare For Mass Casualties 
In an era when worst-case-scenarios keep worsening, how can hospitals prepare? Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Mike Williams, president of the Abaris Group. He specializes in hospital trauma centers and systems. (Paskin, 10/9)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Stomach Acid Blockers Promote Liver Disease, Study Finds
Chronic liver disease appears to be promoted by taking stomach acid blockers known as proton pump inhibitors, according to a study led by University of California San Diego researchers. The drugs, including such best-sellers as Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid, change the population of gut microbes. This leads to overgrowth of a bacterium that causes liver inflammation and cell death, the study found. The study was published in Nature Communications. It was performed with mouse models, healthy human volunteers, and data from chronic alcoholics. Bernd Schnabl, M.D., was the study’s senior author. Cristina Llorente, also of UCSD, was first author. (Fikes, 10/10)

Fresno Bee: Former Fresno Jail Doctor Accused Of Negligence 
The California Medical Board has accused a doctor who provided care at the Fresno County Jail with repeated negligent acts, including denying a wheelchair to an inmate who could not walk. The medical board investigation found Dr. Michelle A. Thomas negligent in the care of five patients she saw at the jail in 2014 and 2015. If the accusations are upheld, the board could reprimand Thomas, place her on probation or revoke her medical license. (Anderson, 10/9)

In other news from across the state —

Orange County Register: New Costa Mesa Sober-Living Webpage Aims To Combat Lack Of Information On City Efforts 
To combat a lack of information regarding sober-living and group homes, the city unveiled a webpage this week that gives an overview of the Costa Mesa’s efforts to regulate the industry and ways residents can voice their concerns. The page features everything from city ordinances targeting the facilities, which some city officials have called the strongest in Orange County, to a list of FAQs and a portal where complaints to code enforcement are reported. (Casiano Jr., 10/9)

The New York Times: Trump’s Cuts To Health Law Enrollment Efforts Are Hitting Hard
Michigan Consumers for Health Care, a nonprofit group, has enrolled thousands of people in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and was honored last year as one of the nation’s top performers — a “super navigator” that would serve as a mentor to enrollment counselors in other states. So the group was stunned to learn from the Trump administration that its funds for assisting consumers ahead of the open enrollment period that begins Nov. 1 would be cut by 89 percent, to $129,900, from $1.2 million. (Pear, 10/9)

The Hill: Trump Could Make Waves With Health Care Order 
President Trump's planned executive order on ObamaCare is worrying supporters of the law and insurers, who fear it could undermine the stability of ObamaCare. Trump’s order, expected as soon as this week, would allow small businesses or other groups of people to band together to buy health insurance. Some fear that these Association Health Plans (AHPs) would not be subject to the same rules as ObamaCare plans, including those that protect people with pre-existing conditions. (Sullivan, 10/10)