Los Angeles Times: California GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bills To Boost Healthcare And Jobs For Veterans 
Republican state lawmakers unveiled a package of six bills Tuesday aimed at improving job training and healthcare services for California veterans. ... SB 409 from Nguyen and SB 485 from state Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber would increase mental health services and oversight at state veterans' homes. (Dillon, 3/28)

In other news from Sacramento —

KPCC: Should Medical Records Be Free For Low-Income Patients? 
Low-income people applying for Medi-Cal or other social services often need their medical records to prove their eligibility, but in many cases they have to pay to get them. A bill in Sacramento would do away with those fees. (Lavender, 3/29)

The Mercury News: Dialysis Centers: California Bill Proposes To Improve Staffing, Inspections 
California could become one of almost a dozen states in the country to require higher staffing levels at dialysis clinics that help treat tens of thousands of these patients if a bill by a Southern California legislator becomes law. The proposal also would mandate annual inspections of each facility. (Seipel, 3/28)

Los Angeles Times: Antiabortion Activists Face 15 Felony Charges Over Undercover Videos That Targeted Planned Parenthood 
Two antiabortion activists whose controversial undercover videos accused Planned Parenthood doctors of selling fetal tissue were charged Tuesday with 15 felonies by California prosecutors. State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra’s office alleges that David Daleiden and his co-conspirator, Sandra Merritt, filmed 14 people without their consent at meetings with women’s healthcare providers in Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Francisco and El Dorado. (Hamilton, 3/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Attorney General Files Charges Against Antiabortion Activists 
“The right to privacy is a cornerstone of California’s Constitution, and a right that is foundational in a free democratic society,” Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.” (Egelko, 3/28)

Los Angeles Times: California Prop. 47 Grants For Criminal Rehabilitation Seen As A Long-Awaited Step Forward
Vonya Quarles grew up in South Los Angeles and describes herself as a third-generation convicted felon. But by the time she took the microphone at a Highland town hall meeting in January 2016, she was a lawyer and executive director of a Riverside County nonprofit that helps connect the homeless, formerly incarcerated and mentally ill to transitional housing. With applause from the audience, she urged state officials not to create “an additional funding stream for the sheriff,” but to pour new funds into community groups, the kind that had helped her kick a drug addiction and get off the streets. That was the fundamental promise of Proposition 47, the sweeping, controversial 2014 ballot measure that downgraded six drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors and allowed defendants to renegotiate their punishments. This spring, the state will begin the process of awarding $103 million in grants, all funded by the ballot initiative’s cost savings from keeping fewer nonviolent offenders in prison. (Ulloa, 3/29)

In other news —

Los Angeles Times: L.A.'s Chronic Challenge: What To Do With The Mentally Ill Homeless Who Refuse Help?
Under California’s Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, police can take a person into custody for psychiatric treatment if it’s believed that due to a mental disorder, that person is a danger to himself or others, or is determined to be gravely disabled. It’s that last part that offers a little wiggle room, in the minds of the advocates. Grave disability is defined as “a condition in which a person, as a result of a mental disorder, is unable to provide for his or her basic personal needs for food, clothing or shelter.” (Lopez, 3/29)

Valley Public Radio: In Kern County, Expanded Mental Health Services On Hold Thanks To State Budget Concerns 
The Affordable Care Act may be staying in place for now, but the long-term future of health care is still far from certain. And that uncertainty is already taking its toll on some health care programs--with ripple effects felt throughout the Valley. If you peruse the Airbnb listings outside Bakersfield, you may stumble upon Broken Shadow Hermitage—a 3-bedroom getaway in the Tehachapi Mountains. The owner, Rick Hobbs, says it’s a great place to meditate and commune with nature. (Klein, 3/28)

Los Angeles Times: Recommended Rules Changes For Sober-Living Homes Aim To Prevent Ex-Residents From Becoming Homeless 
Operators of group homes and sober-living facilities in Costa Mesa would be required to provide transportation and information on homelessness resources to occupants who are evicted or otherwise involuntarily discharged under a series of proposed rules changes the city Planning Commission recommended Monday night. (Money, 3/28)

The Mercury News: Gordon And Betty Moore Donate $50 Million To Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital 
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford on Tuesday announced it has received a $50 million gift from philanthropists Gordon and Betty Moore to further fund a center that provides care and research for children with heart disease. It is the largest private donation from an individual to the hospital since its original founding gift from David and Lucile Packard in 1986. The hospital, founded five years later, said the couple’s generosity will be honored by naming the center the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center. The Moores were inspired to make their donation after a child in their family benefited from care at the heart center, according to hospital officials. (Seipel, 3/28)

Fresno Bee: Valley Counties Rank Among Unhealthiest In State – Again
Fresno, Tulare and Merced counties again are among the unhealthiest places in California, according to the eighth annual County Health Rankings released Wednesday. Fresno ranked 52nd, Tulare 50th and Merced 49th among the 57 California counties analyzed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute...The report evaluates nearly every county in the nation on a multitude of factors that influence health, including smoking, obesity, air pollution, preventable hospital stays and employment. (Anderson, 3/28)

In other public health news —

KPBS: City Heights Initiative Tackles Health Disparities While Providing Job Skills 
The Community Health Worker Leadership Academy, which begins Wednesday, provides participants with career training and educates community members on healthy habits so they’re in a position to give neighbors advice on their well-being. Marielena Aguilar, a community health educator with Project Concern International or PCI, said after past versions of the academy that focused on training Latinas, she noticed more people visiting local health clinics. (Mento, 3/28)

Orange County Register: Chapman University Mumps Outbreak Now Up To 7 Students 
An outbreak of mumps at Chapman University has grown to seven cases and students are urged to make sure their vaccinations are up-to-date. The Health Care Agency said there are four confirmed cases of mumps and three probable cases, involving six law school students and one undergraduate. (Perkes, 3/28)

Modesto Bee: Dr. John Walker, Retiring Health Officer, Warns That Zika Is A Priority For Stanislaus County 
Although his last day on the job is Thursday, Dr. John Walker had plenty of unfinished business to attend to this week, such as warning spring break travelers to take precautions for the Zika virus. The state warned people traveling to Mexico and other destinations in Latin America to avoid mosquito bites that can transmit Zika. It’s also possible to contract the virus from unprotected sex. (Carlson, 3/28)

KPCC: What President Trump’s Emissions Order Means For SoCal 
President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite the rules on nationwide carbon emissions. How will that affect California's energy industry? Here is what you need to know. (Bernstein, 3/28)

The New York Times: Repeal Of Affordable Care Act Is Back On Agenda, Republicans Say
Under extreme pressure from conservative activists, House Republican leaders and the White House have restarted negotiations on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But efforts to revive the legislation in the House could take weeks, lawmakers conceded, as Congress moves forward with a full plate of other time-consuming issues. And the renewed push did not meet with much enthusiasm from Senate Republicans, who said they had other priorities at the moment. (Pear and Peters, 3/28)

The Associated Press: Ryan Says House To Revisit Health Care, Offers No Details
Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday he's going to give battered House Republicans another crack at a health care overhaul. But he offered no timeline, and leaders haven't resolved how to overcome the deep GOP divisions that crumpled their legislation last week in a humiliating retreat for themselves and President Donald Trump. (Fram, 3/28)

USA Today: House Republicans Say They Are Still Negotiating Obamacare Repeal
After the failure of the bill and some weekend reflection, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and his caucus are trying to do things differently. The group is working with leadership and moderate Republicans to try to bring back the bill in a different form. Meadows had a meeting with Ryan on Tuesday, which was unusual because the Freedom Caucus had largely gone around leadership during the negotiation process and dealt directly with the White House. (Collins, 3/28)

The Washington Post: House GOP Has High Hopes, But Not High Likelihood, Of Reviving Health-Care Bill
White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday acknowledged talks but no imminent plans for reviving the bill. “Have we had some discussions and listened to ideas? Yes,” he told reporters. “Are we actively planning an immediate strategy? Not at this time.” (DeBonis, 3/28)

Politico: GOP On Reviving Obamacare Repeal: Lots Of Talk, No Action
[L]awmakers and aides acknowledge the odds are not in their favor. The conference is still deeply divided, and members are seething over the demise of their replacement bill — with most fingers pointing at members of the arch-conservative Freedom Caucus. During a meeting with several dozen whips Monday night, Republican allies of leadership vented about how they want to punish members of the conservative group who “don’t play with the team.” (Bade, Cheney and Bresnahan, 3/28)

Politico: Trump Tells Senators: We Can Deal On Health Care ‘Very Quickly’
President Donald Trump still sees a deal on health care. In fact, he told senators he has “no doubt that that’s going to happen very quickly.” Speaking in brief remarks at a White House reception for senators and their spouses, Trump brushed off the recent collapse of a House-led bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. (Jackson, 3/28)

The Associated Press: Senate, White House Pass On House Push To Revive Health Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made his views clear after a closed-door lunch with fellow Senate Republicans and Vice President Mike Pence. "It's pretty obvious we were not able, in the House, to pass a replacement. Our Democratic friends ought to be pretty happy about that because we have the existing law in place, and I think we're just going to have to see how that works out," McConnell said. "We believe it will not work out well, but we'll see." (Werner, 3/28)

Politico: Trump Could Blow Up Obamacare With One Move
President Trump says that Obamacare is going to explode. But if that happens, it is likely because his administration supplies the spark that detonates the marketplaces. The White House could decide at any time to eliminate subsidies relied upon by insurers to lower costs for Obamacare’s poorest customers, as a result of a court win by House Republicans last spring. (Demko, 3/29)

The Wall Street Journal: After GOP Health Bill’s Demise, More States Weigh Expanding Medicaid
A growing number of states are considering expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, after last week’s abrupt collapse of the GOP health bill and a development that could make it harder for Republicans to undo the law in the future. (Armour, 3/28)

The New York Times: Severe Eczema Drug Is Approved By F.D.A.; Price Tag Is $37,000 A Year
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a drug to treat people with a serious form of eczema, a potential breakthrough for people who have suffered for years without relief. But it will not come cheap. The drug, to be called Dupixent, will carry a list price of $37,000 a year, a hefty price tag for patients who are increasingly being asked to pay a larger share of the drugs they take. (Thomas, 3/28)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Approves First Drug To Treat Severe Multiple Sclerosis
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Tuesday the first drug to treat a severe form of multiple sclerosis, offering hope to patients who previously had no other options to combat a relentless disease that leads to paralysis and cognitive decline. The federal agency also cleared the drug to treat people with the more common, relapsing form of the disease. (Thomas, 3/28)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Nominee Plans Recusals From Decisions On Many Drug Firms
The Trump administration’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration plans to recuse himself for a year from FDA decisions on more than 20 companies, including some drug giants. Scott Gottlieb in recent years has held positions and received millions of dollars in income as adviser, executive, paid speaker or consultant to the companies, according to financial-disclosure documents he has filed with government ethics officials. (Burton, 3/29)