Sacramento Bee: California Republicans Call For ‘Crime Control,’ Not Gun Control, In Legislative Agenda 
The measures include stiffer penalties for repeat shoplifters, reinstating enhanced punishment for gun crimes and undoing a ballot initiative that downgraded sentences for certain offenses. Republican leader James Gallagher, of Nicolaus, said he was optimistic the bills would receive support from Democrats, who make up more than two-thirds of the Legislature. “We’re willing to work with anyone,” he said. ... “We don’t need more gun control,” said Corona Assemblyman Bill Essayli. “We need crime control.” (Hobbs, 1/31)

Voice of OC: What Are The Exact Plans For Orange County’s Next Mental Health Campus?
Orange County leaders have committed large sums of taxpayer resources to a proposed mental health and wellness campus run by a nonprofit group. The proposed Be Well campus in Irvine – and the first one that opened in Orange two years ago – come as people in OC and across California face major shortages in being able to access services for mental crises and substance treatment. (Gerda, 2/1)

AP: Widow's Suit: Unarmed Mentally Ill Husband Shot In Back 
A California widow whose husband was suffering from a mental health crisis when she called a nonemergency number for help last year sued Culver City police Tuesday, alleging they shot her unarmed husband in the back as he was running from officers. Adriana Medina filed her civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the fatal shooting of Guillermo Medina on Dec. 18 in the Los Angeles suburb. (Melley, 2/1)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: First COVID-19 Deaths Of The Year Reported In Sonoma County
Sonoma County health officials this week reported three new COVID-19 deaths, the first of the new year, bringing the fatality toll to 535 for the nearly three-year pandemic. (Espinoza, 1/31)

Los Angeles Times: Who Is Still Most Likely To Die Of COVID In L.A. County?
Over the 30-day period ending Jan. 3, which covers the bulk of the post-Thanksgiving coronavirus surge, the death rate among unvaccinated Angelenos was 16.6 per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis by the county Department of Public Health. Among those who had received an updated bivalent booster, the comparable rate was significantly lower: 2.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. (Money and Lin II, 1/31)

CIDRAP: Twice-Weekly Rapid COVID Tests May Be Better Than Infrequent PCR
A study today in BMJ Open involving the Japan Professional Football League suggests that frequent COVID-19 rapid antigen testing (RAT) can better detect positive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections than infrequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, despite the latter's higher sensitivity. (Van Beusekom, 1/31)

The New York Times: Deer Could Be A Reservoir Of Old Coronavirus Variants, Study Suggests
The Alpha and Gamma variants of the coronavirus continued to circulate and evolve in white-tailed deer, even after they stopped spreading widely among people, a new study suggests. Whether the variants are still circulating in deer remains unknown. “That’s the big question,” said Dr. Diego Diel, a virologist at Cornell University and an author of the study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday. (Anthes, 1/31)

Modern Healthcare: What The End Of The COVID Public Health Emergency Means For Healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic may not be over but—after nearly three-and-a-half years—the federal public health emergency is finally set to end. The healthcare system will have a lot of adapting to do. (Goldman and Devereaux, 1/31)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes GOP Measures To Curtail Government’s Covid-19 Emergency Powers 
The House passed two pandemic-related bills Tuesday, as Republicans pushed to roll back Covid-19 emergency powers invoked by the federal government over the past three years. The Pandemic Is Over Act, which would terminate the public-health emergency declared for the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020, passed 220-210, along party lines. (Eimil, 1/31)  

The New York Times: Covid Vaccine Makers Kept Prepayments For Canceled Shots For Poor Nations 
As global demand for Covid-19 vaccines dries up, the program responsible for vaccinating the world’s poor has been urgently negotiating to try to get out of its deals with pharmaceutical companies for shots it no longer needs. Drug companies have so far declined to refund $1.4 billion in advance payments for now-canceled doses, according to confidential documents obtained by The New York Times. (Nolen and Robbins, 2/1)

The New York Times: Students Lost One-Third Of A School Year To Pandemic, Study Finds
Children experienced learning deficits during the Covid pandemic that amounted to about one-third of a school year’s worth of knowledge and skills, according to a new global analysis, and had not recovered from those losses more than two years later. Learning delays and regressions were most severe in developing countries and among students from low-income backgrounds, researchers said, worsening existing disparities and threatening to follow children into higher education and the work force. (Baumgaertner, 1/30)

The Hill: Public Health Emergency For Mpox Officially Ends 
The public health emergency for the mpox outbreak that began last year is officially ending as of Tuesday, with the number of reported cases continuing to dwindle and advocacy groups declaring the emergency’s conclusion a victory for the LGBTQ community. The Biden administration announced in December that it was not expecting to renew the public health emergency (PHE) for mpox, previously referred to as monkeypox, that was first declared in August 2022. The PHE was renewed once in November. (Choi, 1/31)

CNN: Mpox Is Almost Gone In The US, Leaving Lessons And Mysteries In Its Wake 
It wasn’t always a given that we’d get here. When mpox went global in 2022, doctors had too few doses of a new and unproven vaccine, an untested treatment, a dearth of diagnostic testing and a difficult line to walk in their messaging, which needed to be geared to an at-risk population that has been stigmatized and ignored in public health crises before. Experts say the outbreak has taught the world a lot about this infection, which had only occasionally been seen outside Africa. (Goodman, 1/31)

CalMatters: Reimbursement Lagging To Clinics That Provided Mpox Vaccines
Community clinics and LGBTQ health centers opened mass mpox vaccination sites as quickly as possible and clamored for assistance from local and legislative leaders, but oftentimes red tape at both the federal and state level hampered a speedy response. (Hwang, 1/31)

KQED: 'Down To The Wire Again': SF Officials Blast Feds For Silence On Laguna Honda Patient-Transfer Decision, Just Days Before Deadline
Federal officials have yet to say whether they will allow San Francisco to continue postponing the transfer of hundreds of Laguna Honda Hospital patients to other skilled nursing facilities, frustrated city leaders said Tuesday. The clock is ticking. If the Biden administration rejects the city’s requests to continue halting transfers, the hospital could be required to resume relocating its more than 550 remaining patients, many of whom are elderly and lower-income, to other skilled nursing facilities as early as Friday. (Johnson, 1/31)

NPR: Humira Loses Monopoly As Copycat From Amgen Comes To Market
After 20 years and $200 billion in revenue, Humira — an injectable treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and several other autoimmune conditions — has lost its monopoly. Early Tuesday morning, California-based biotech firm Amgen released Amjevita, the first close copy of the best selling drug of all time. At least seven more Humira copycats, known as biosimilars, are expected to debut later this year. (Walker and Gorenstein, 1/31)

CapRadio: California Announces Plan To Convert 3 Office Buildings In Downtown Sacramento Into Housing 
Several state-owned buildings in downtown Sacramento have been selected as potential affordable housing sites. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Tuesday that the state of California is seeking proposals to redevelop the Employment Development Department headquarters and the State Personnel Board building along Capitol Mall and the EDD Solar building at 751 N Street. (Nichols and Morgan, 1/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Game Changer’: New S.F Homeless Housing Gives Hope, But Thousands Still Live In Dilapidated Hotels
A new oasis for San Francisco’s formerly homeless has just opened on Mission Street — a housing complex painted with warm reds and yellows and graced with high ceilings, a lush courtyard and big windows for the sun to splash in. All the rooms at 1064 Mission St. in SoMa have their own bathrooms and kitchenettes and — perhaps most importantly — there’s abundant space dedicated to mental health care, where clinicians can connect with residents like 61-year-old Michael Jackson. (Thadani, 2/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Will Get New Homeless Response Team To Replace Police. Will It Mean More Help For Those On The Streets?
San Francisco will soon try out removing police from low-level 911 calls about homelessness and instead dispatch community workers to respond. The hope is that the new program will reduce the possibility for police violence, free up officers for more serious calls than someone sleeping in front of a business, for example, and help get people off the streets and to a better place, although resources such as housing remain in short supply. The new pilot program will join at least half a dozen other teams run by different city departments that respond to people in mental crisis, overdosing on drugs or in need of a wellness check. (Moench, 1/31)

Modesto Bee: Critics Blast Closure Of Stanislaus Drug Treatment Center
Stanislaus County is closing the Genesis Narcotic Treatment Program in the middle of an opioid crisis and amid growing concern over the need for drug addiction services. The county Board of Supervisors last Tuesday characterized the action to close Genesis as a “management” decision. But people who are involved with addressing the opioid epidemic in the area said the decision came from out of the blue and should have been discussed with interested parties. (Carlson, 1/31)

KQED: 'A Legacy Of Slavery': For Domestic Workers, California's New Safety Guidelines Are Long Overdue, Say Advocates
In 2017, about a week after the massive Tubbs wildfire destroyed parts of Santa Rosa, house cleaner Socorro Diaz got a call from one of her clients. They asked her to work at their home, which was still standing next to incinerated buildings in the Fountaingrove neighborhood. When Diaz arrived, she found the house full of ash. She said she didn’t have a proper mask or gloves to clean what she would soon realize was toxic residue. And after days of handling and breathing it in, her skin itched, her head hurt and her nose bled. (Romero, 1/31)

Military Times: Lawmakers Demand Fixes In VA Health Records Before Any More Rollouts
Veterans Affairs leaders would be blocked from deploying the department’s new electronic health records system at any additional medical centers until significant safeguards are put in place, under legislation introduced Tuesday by House Republicans. “[The system] has crippled the delivery of care, put veteran patient safety at risk, and stressed an already overwhelmed healthcare system,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said in a statement accompanying the unveiling of the bill. (Shane III, 1/31)

Bay Area Reporter: Biden Administration Aims To Improve LGBTQ Data
The Biden administration is moving forward on a plan aimed at improving the federal government's knowledge about the needs of LGBTQ Americans. It is the latest development in a decades-long push by LGBTQ advocates to better track sexual orientation and gender identity data in the U.S. It is laid out in the first-ever "Federal Evidence Agenda on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Equity" document that the White House released January 24. The National Science and Technology Council's subcommittees on SOGI and variations in sex characteristics data and equitable data created the 49-page report. (Bajko, 1/31)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Proposes Overhaul In Wake Of Baby Formula Shortage 
The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed consolidating the leadership of the food side of the agency Tuesday, in response to criticism of its slow response to the baby formula shortages and other food safety concerns. The plan unveiled by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reorganizes the overlapping food divisions by putting a single deputy commissioner in charge of food policy and regulation within the agency. (Peterson, 1/31)

The Hill: Dems Press GOP On Whether Anti-Socialist Bill Could Hit Medicare, Social Security 
House Democrats pushed Republicans to clarify the implications of a new bill that would denounce the “horrors of socialism” and socialist policies, expressing concern that it may include Medicare and Social Security benefits. The House Rules Committee met Tuesday to discuss the resolution, proposed on Jan. 25 by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.). (Yarrow, 1/31)

CNN: Why Every American Has A Stake In Biden's Big Meeting With McCarthy 
Because the government typically spends more than it takes in through revenues, it must borrow money to pay for commitments that Congress has already made. So, if lawmakers don’t grant more lending authority by mid-summer, Social Security retirement payments will be on the line. Veterans could stand to lose their vital health and living benefits. Americans whose 401(k) funds are locked into stocks could see their savings plummet in a global market crash. Borrowing costs for consumers would also likely spike, potentially plunging the economy into a recession that could choke job growth and cause widespread misery. (Collinson, 12/1)

Axios: Republicans Break With Another Historical Ally: Doctors
Republicans' historical alliance with the nation's leading physicians' group has deteriorated to the point where several elected doctors are openly critical of the organization and what they refer to as its "woke" policies. (Owens and Knight, 2/1)

CNN: The Dirtier Your Air, The Higher Your Risk Of Depression Or Anxiety, Study Finds
People who live in a highly polluted area have a much higher risk of depression and anxiety than those who live with cleaner air, a new study says. The study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that people who were exposed to higher amounts of multiple air pollutants for a long period – including particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides – had an increased risk of depression and anxiety. (Christensen, 2/1)

USA Today: EPA Proposes Changes To Air Quality Standards For Soot Pollution
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed bringing the limits down from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to between 9 and 10. The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to review air quality standards every five years – but this proposed revision is the first in a decade to address soot levels. Some groups say the new limit is not enough, particularly for urban communities of color overburdened by pollution, outdoor workers and others who are vulnerable. (Hassanein, 1/31)

Berkeleyside: Puppy Dies After Eating Mushroom In A Berkeley Park
When North Berkeley resident Andrea Safir realized her puppy Ginger was unconscious, she rushed her beloved adopted companion to an animal hospital in Oakland. It was too late, the vet told her, and nothing could be done, as Ginger had most likely eaten a death cap mushroom. To prevent a more painful death, Ginger was euthanized. ... There are many types of mushrooms in the East Bay. Most are harmless — and more than a few are delicious — but two are among the world’s deadliest. Amanita phalloides (death cap) and Amanita ocreata (destroying angel) contain amatoxin, a chemical compound that causes liver failure in pets and people alike. Deadly amatoxin can also be in Galerina and Lepiota species found in the Bay Area. (Kwok, 1/31)

Los Angeles Times: Composting Is Now Mandatory In L.A. Here’s How To Reap Rewards Beyond The Green Bin
It took a year past the state deadline, but mandatory curbside composting has finally arrived in the city of Los Angeles. As of Jan. 16, residents are now required to toss their chicken bones, veggie scraps and other food waste into their green bins instead of their nonrecyclable garbage destined for the landfill. It’s not really a major issue: You have to scrape your food waste into some receptacle, right? (Marantos, 1/31)

The New York Times: To Prevent Cancer, More Women Should Consider Removing Fallopian Tubes, Experts Say 
There is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, so doctors urge women at high genetic risk for the disease to have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed once they are done having children, usually around the age of 40. On Wednesday, a leading research and advocacy organization broadened that recommendation in ways that may surprise many women. (Rabin, 12/1)

NBC News: CDC: Eyedrops Sold At Walmart, Other Stores Linked To Infections
One person has died and at least three others are left with permanent vision loss because of a bacterial infection possibly linked to a brand of over-the-counter eyedrops, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of those affected reported using preservative-free EzriCare Artificial Tears before becoming ill, the CDC reported in a statement dated Jan. 20. (Edwards, 1/31)

NBC News: Obesity Can Cause Changes In The Brain Similar To Alzheimer's, Study Suggests
Being overweight in midlife has been linked to greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and a new study shows that brain changes in obese people mirror some of those with Alzheimer’s. Scientists at McGill University in Montreal analyzed brain scans of more than 1,300 people in the first research to directly compare the patterns of brain shrinkage in obese people and in Alzheimer’s patients. (Carroll, 1/31)