Los Angeles Times: L.A. City Council Votes To Strengthen Law Against Tenant Harassment 
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted in favor of adopting measures to strengthen the city’s tenant anti-harassment ordinance after the original law, approved three years ago, resulted in thousands of tenant complaints and no prosecutions. (Equivel, 9/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Critics Call Oakland Mayor's Homeless Order 'Political Stunt'
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao issued an executive order Monday directing police, fire and city workers to enforce existing city policy to clear homeless encampments. But critics questioned the mayor, saying her announcement was a “political stunt” ahead of a tense recall election. (Ravani, 9/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Leaders Discuss How To Replace Shelter Beds As Facility Closures Loom 
San Diego council members have signaled a willingness to expand the city’s designated camping areas and rent blocks of hotel rooms for homeless residents as officials rush to replace hundreds of shelter beds in the coming months. (Nelson, 9/24)

CalMatters: What Kamala Harris Can Learn From Newsom On Housing Goal
For California political observers, the housing plan that Kamala Harris recently unveiled may have caused a twinge of familiarity. As a central plank of her agenda to “lower costs for American families,” the Democratic presidential nominee pledged in August to build 3 million additional affordable homes and rentals over the next four years to address “a serious housing shortage across America” — echoing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s platform during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018, when he called for California to add 3.5 million housing units by 2025. (Koseff, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Union Says Over 55,000 L.A. County Workers Could Go On Strike Oct. 10
More than 55,000 Los Angeles County union workers in hospitals, social services, public health and other county departments represented by SEIU 721 are prepared to walk off the job over alleged failures by the county to follow their labor contract, union leaders said Tuesday. SEIU 721 President David Green told members at a rally Tuesday outside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles that members had authorized a possible strike by a 99% vote. (Alpert Reyes and Ellis, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: CommonSpirit Workers To Picket At 4 California Hospitals
Healthcare workers from Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, who are represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, will hold informational pickets Sept. 24-26 at four Dignity Health hospitals across California to protest what they say is the outsourcing of jobs and short-staffing. The union represents approximately 15,000 CommonSpirit workers statewide, according to a Sept. 20 SEIU-UHW news release. San Francisco-based Dignity Health is part of CommonSpirit, which has more than 2,200 care sites in 24 states. (Gooch, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: UC San Diego Health, County Partner On Behavioral Health Hub
UC San Diego Health and San Diego County are partnering to expand the region's access to inpatient behavioral health services. On Sept. 24, the academic health system and San Diego County confirmed they are finalizing an agreement to add 30 new psychiatric inpatient beds for adult Medi-Cal patients at East Campus Medical Center, which UC San Diego Health acquired in December. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. (Carbajal, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: How 3 CEOs Build Relationships With Staff
As healthcare leaders navigate industry challenges, some hospital and health system CEOs have found creative ways to connect with their staff, including the use of new technologies. Kim Cripe, president and CEO of Children's Hospital of Orange (Calif.) County, said implementing a personalized communications tool has allowed for an enhanced employee experience. (Kuchno, 9/24)

Reuters: CrowdStrike Exec Apologizes Before US Congress For Software Glitch Behind July Global Outage
A senior executive at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike apologized at an appearance before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Tuesday for a faulty software update that caused a global IT outage in July. The July 19 incident led to worldwide flight cancellations and impacted industries around the globe including banks, health care, media companies and hotel chains. (Shepardson, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: 77% Of IT Healthcare Employees Want New Jobs: Survey
Health systems’ information technology employees are feeling the effects of industry volatility and unsatisfied with their prospects for advancement, according to a recent survey. Bloomforce, a company providing staffing support and recruiting services to healthcare providers, surveyed nearly 300 IT professionals regarding the state of their careers. The respondents — most of whom worked at large health systems — ranged in experience from entry-level application analysts to managers. (Perna, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: How The Federal Rate Cut Could Affect Healthcare Investments
The Federal Reserve's decision to slash its benchmark interest rate could stoke more capital spending among hospitals and health systems, but some providers are waiting to see what happens next before taking action. The Fed cut the benchmark rate by 0.5 percentage points at its Sept. 18 meeting, marking the central bank's first rate cut since early 2020. The move cuts the federal funds rate, the interest rate banks charge each other for short-term borrowing, and influences consumer and business borrowing and investments. (Hudson, 9/24))

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Pharmacy Board Postpones Decision On Drug That Helps Firefighters 
Amy Segui spent Sept. 11 in Sacramento. In full turnout gear, along with several hundred fellow firefighters, the Petaluma assistant fire marshal climbed 110 flights of stairs. Each climber carried the nameplate of a firefighter lost 23 years earlier in Manhattan’s Twin Towers. At a meeting of the California Board of Pharmacy, she reminded its 13 members of their mission “to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.” (Murphy, 9/24)

Los Angeles Times: Concern Grows As Bird Flu Outbreaks Continue To Rise Among California Dairy Herds
“Farmers are genuinely worried about the virus and do not feel it’s under control,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, the trade association of California dairy farmers. (Rust, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: CDC's Highly Anticipated Mask Guidance: 6 Things To Know
A CDC advisory committee has been working to update an influential set of infection control guidelines since August 2023. Over the past year, the agency has faced growing pressure from clinicians, who have criticized early versions of the updated guidance for putting surgical masks on par with N95s. The CDC's Isolation Precautions Guidance — which informs infection control and prevention practices within hospitals and nursing homes worldwide — was last updated in 2007. (Carbajal, 9/24)

CIDRAP: Study Sheds New Light On Severe COVID's Long-Term Brain Impacts 
More than a year after COVID-19 hospitalization, many patients have worse cognitive function than those who weren't hospitalized, a symptom that comes with reduced brain volume and brain injury markers on blood tests, according to a new study, the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom. (Schnirring, 9/24)

The Hill: CDC Widens Mpox Vaccine Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory recommending that select travelers to countries where a certain strain of mpox is endemic should be fully vaccinated prior to going. While the agency has already been advising vaccination for those travelling to countries where clade I mpox is endemic, the CDC’s guidance this issued week specifically advises that people who “anticipate certain sexual exposures” while in those countries should be fully vaccinated with two doses of the Jynneos smallpox vaccine. (Choi, 9/24)

LAist: LA County Mpox Cases Are Rising. What’s Driving The Increase?
Cases of mpox have doubled in recent weeks, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on Monday. Mpox is caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox, though it’s not as transmissible or fatal. It’s spread mainly through close contact, and its symptoms can include a fever, aches, and painful rashes on the face, mouth, hands and even genitals. (Hernández, 9/25)

NPR: Biden Pledges Mpox Aid In A Sweeping Farewell Speech To The UN
President Biden on Tuesday announced new aid to try to stem the mpox epidemic in a valedictory address to the United Nations where he expressed optimism in the face of wars and other global challenges. Biden said the United States would give African countries $500 million to help prevent and respond to mpox and will donate 1 million doses of mpox vaccine. “Now we call on our partners to match our pledge and make this a billion-dollar commitment to the people of Africa,” Biden said in his speech. (Khalid, 9/24)

Reuters: Bavarian Nordic Gets $63 Million US Government Order For Small Pox, Mpox Vaccine
Bavarian Nordic has received an order worth $63 million from the U.S. government to produce additional bulk product and the final freeze-dried doses of its mpox and smallpox vaccine, Jynneos, it said on Tuesday. As per the contract, the Danish biotech company will manufacture 1 million freeze-dried vaccines to be delivered by 2026, it said. (9/24)

Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles Settles With Monsanto For $35 Million Over PCBs
Contamination of key Los Angeles waterways such as the Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Harbor and Echo Park Lake due to the spread of toxic chemicals is at the heart of a $35-million settlement between the L.A. City Council and agriculture giant Monsanto and two smaller companies. The City Council on Tuesday announced the payout by the companies to settle a lawsuit filed in 2022 over damage from long-banned chemicals called PCBs, which have been linked to health problems including cancer. (Campa, 9/24)

CalMatters: How A New California Law Shields Student Athletes From Heat 
Football practice has always been something of an extreme sport in the Coachella Valley, where temperatures can flare far above 100 degrees for weeks on end. But a change in California law authored by an Inland Empire lawmaker requires extra monitoring of young athletes on the hottest days and sets strict guidelines for how and when they can play in extreme heat. (Brennan, 9/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: County, UCSD Seal Deal To Add 30 Mental Health Beds For Medi-Cal Patients 
San Diego County supervisors unanimously approved a $32 million, long-term loan to UC San Diego Health Tuesday, funding 30 additional beds in San Diego for patients with Medi-Cal coverage who need mental health care. (Sisson, 9/24)

CNN: Many 988 Callers Will Now Get Help Based On Where They Are, Not Their Phone’s Area Code
Major cell phone carriers have started to adopt a new technology that helps direct callers to the 988 suicide and crisis hotline to help centers based on their physical location rather than their phone number’s area code, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. (McPhillips, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Calls On Yelp, Google To 'Deplatform' Illegal Dispensaries 
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday to “deplatform” illegal cannabis dispensaries, seeking their removal from Google, Yelp and other online platforms. Introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the measure instructs multiple county agencies to prepare reports within three months on potential steps to stop unauthorized cannabis advertising — including online marketing — in the county’s unincorporated areas. (Sheets, 9/24)

AP: Judge Lets Over 8,000 Catholic Employers Deny Worker Protections For Abortion And Fertility Care
A federal judge is allowing more than 8,000 Catholic employers nationwide to reject government regulations that protect workers seeking abortions and fertility care. In a sharply worded order, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor, of Bismarck, North Dakota, granted a preliminary injunction Monday, ruling that the Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck were likely to succeed in proving that a final rule adopted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April violated their freedom of religion. The regulations are meant to enforce the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. (Dura and Karnowski, 9/24)

The Hill: Senate Democrats Take Final Crack At Abortion Bill Ahead Of November
Senate Republicans blocked Democrats from advancing a resolution aimed at ensuring access to emergency health care, including for abortions, as Democrats keep their messaging centered on reproductive rights ahead of November. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) attempted to pass the resolution, which was introduced last week, via unanimous consent. ... Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) blocked the request and argued that the Democratic claim is incorrect and doctors across the country, despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, are able to perform emergency care no matter the situation. (Weaver, 9/24)

AP: Senate Chairman Demands Answers From Emergency Rooms That Denied Care To Pregnant Patients
Hospitals are facing questions about why they denied care to pregnant patients and whether state abortion bans have influenced how they treat those patients. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, sent inquiries to nine hospitals ahead of a hearing Tuesday looking at whether abortion bans have prevented or delayed pregnant women from getting help during their miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies or other medical emergencies. (Seitz, 9/24)

NPR: Kamala Harris Says She Supports Ending The Filibuster For Abortion Rights
Vice President Harris says she would support eliminating the filibuster in the U.S. Senate in order to bring back federal protections for a woman's right to an abortion as they existed under Roe v. Wade. Harris outlined her position during an interview Monday with Wisconsin Public Radio, saying that when it comes to the issue of abortion, she believes the Senate should do away with the filibuster rule that requires a 60-vote threshold for most legislation to pass. (Breslow, 9/24)

Bloomberg: Ozempic’s High Price Risks Lives, Sanders Says In Hearing With Novo Nordisk CEO
Novo Nordisk A/S Chief Executive Officer Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen found himself struggling to defend the price of blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy in a congressional hearing Tuesday where Senator Bernie Sanders accused the drugmaker of prioritizing profits over American lives. In a contentious back-and-forth with the Novo CEO at the outset of the hearing, the Vermont senator pressed Jorgensen on his indirect answers and refusal to respond to his questions. (Muller, Kresge, and Griffin, 9/24)

Reuters: US Senator Sanders Says Middlemen Won't Punish Novo If It Cuts Weight-Loss Drug Prices 
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday he had commitments from the nation's top pharmacy benefit managers that they would expand coverage of Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes and weight-loss medicines if the company lowered the list prices. (Aboulenein and Wingrove, 9/24)

USA Today: Novo Nordisk CEO Explains Levemir Discontinuation
The top of executive of Novo Nordisk told a Senate panel Tuesday it was a "difficult choice" to discontinue the long-acting insulin Levemir but he had to do so because of market forces. The Danish drugmaker previously announced it would stop sales of Levemir vials by the end of December. Novo Nordisk's decision has been criticized by some patients with Type 1 diabetes who prefer Levemir over other long-acting "basal" insulins such as Sanofi's Lantus and Novo Nordisk's Tresiba. (Alltucker, 9/25)

AP: Congress Set To Pass Bill Keeping Government Funded And Avoid Shutdown
Congress is expected Wednesday to give swift approval to a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies funded when the new fiscal year begins next Tuesday, avoiding a potential shutdown showdown just weeks before the Nov. 5 election. The stopgap measure generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20, but an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Money was also added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things. (Freking, 9/25)