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Tahoe Truckee Region Health Articles



Image caption: The state expects 348 prison inmates to request gender-affirming health care in 2023.
California Prisons See Spike in Gender-Affirming Care Cases

The population of transgender inmates in California prisoners surged by 234 percent in the years since the state adopted a first-in-the-nation policy allowing gender-affirming health care.

Image caption: Forced and child marriage survivors arrive at a protest, organized to support a ban on child marriage, at the state Capitol in Sacramento on June 22, 2023.
Child Marriage Survivors Press California to Ban the Practice

You have to be 18 to get divorced in California, but there’s no minimum age to get married. Child marriage survivors protested at the state Capitol, but the Legislature likely won’t act until next year.

Image caption: Crisis pregnancy centers are set up to look like they provide help, but the real picture may be different.
California’s Next Abortion Battleground: ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’

California legislators have passed a slew of laws to protect abortion rights. But after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many fear attempting to regulate “crisis pregnancy centers” is legally risky.

Image caption: Food banks, meant as emergency aid, are now permanent food sources as many Californians face hunger.
California Food Banks Flooded by Families Needing Help

As extra pandemic benefits end, food banks say that they're becoming long-term supermarkets for Californians facing food insecurity. Several bills to boost CalFresh are before the Legislature, but the state budget deficit may get in the way.

Embrace vibrant wellness: Renew, rejuvenate with spring reset

Spring is a time of renewal, rejuvenation and growth. It’s the perfect season to reset the body, mind and spirit. This winter was challenging for many people living and working in the Tahoe area. Now is a good time to …

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Willow Esch: Supporting immunity through herbalism

The aroma of cinnamon, cardamom and orange peel is sweet, spicy, strong and rich. These particular spices and herbs evoke memories of holidays or a warm cup of chai served in an Indian restaurant. They also possess beneficial properties for …

How food labels cause confusion, waste

A friend called me the other day to ask if it was OK to eat the eggs in her fridge that were past their sell-by date. I asked her what the date was. It was only a few days past …

Image caption: Explaining California is hard work! But at California Local, we were up for it throughout 2022.
Explaining California in 2022: Our 10 Best Explainers of the Year

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are our 10 most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from immigration to cryptocurrency to wealth inequality and more.

Image caption: Migrants wait in line while California border activists organize the group to enter the U.S. and seek asylum through the Chaparral entryway in Tijuana, Mexico on Dec. 22, 2022.
Border Scramble

The Supreme Court is keeping in place, for now, Title 42 — the pandemic policy that OK’d migrant expulsions. California has yet to figure out how to meet the needs of an influx of migrants when it does go away.

Image caption: The Israeli drugmaker Teva is one of three manufacturers experiencing a shortage of Amoxicillin.
Amoxicillin: Why the Popular Antibiotic is in Short Supply

Amoxicillin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic, is suddenly in short supply just as a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping California. What is causing the sudden shortage?

Image caption: California traffic deaths remain high, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Why Zero Traffic Fatalities Remains a Distant Goal

California’s goal of zero traffic fatalities remains distant. Here are some common causes of deaths on the road that can be fixed, but haven’t been.

Image caption: Donald Trump greets Kevin McCarthy (R-CA 23) whose district includes two of California’s highest murder-rate counties.
Why Are Murder Rates High in Some Republican Counties?

Homicide rates remain high in some of California's most Republican, Trump-voting counties. Are law-and-order policies against crime a bust? Here’s why political voting patterns are a strong indicator of violent crime in states and counties.

Image caption: Californians may soon mask in public places again, as the BA.5 COVID variant sweeps the state.
What the COVID BA.5 Variant Means For California

California is headed for a new COVID surge as BA.5, the most contagious variant of the virus yet discovered, arrives in the state, apparently causing an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths.

Image caption: Justice Clarence Thomas calls for SCOTUS to pull back even more established rights after Roe v. Wade.
Why Clarence Thomas Wants to Throw Out Your Rights

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that after overturning Roe v. Wade SCOTUS must now overturn decisions allowing same-sex marriage and contraception. Here's why.

Image caption: Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County, California.
Nuclear Power in California: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

California may soon shut down its last nuclear power plant, but Gov. Gavin Newsom who once championed the closure has had a change of heart. Federal funds may now keep the plant running.

Image caption: A California constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights is in the works.
Abortion Rights in California After SCOTUS Opinion

Abortion rights will remain protected, even expanded in California after the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom vows after a leaked SCOTUS opinion reveals the court plans to abolish the right to choose.

Image caption: Gov. Newsom’s new SMARTER plan anticipates that COVID will move from pandemic to endemic.
California’s New ‘Endemic’ COVID Plan

California has a new plan for dealing with COVID as the disease becomes endemic. But does that mean the pandemic is over? Here’s what Gov. Newsom is proposing.

Image caption: How much is too much? There’s no simple answer, but here are some questions to ponder.
Six Steps to Mindful Drinking

Thinking about making a change in your relationship to drugs and alcohol? Here are some things to consider.

Featured

A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI
Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained
But even in California, access to abortion services in many areas remains limited.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California
Californians live longer than people in all but three states, but not all counties are equal.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.