California: the record

DHCS submits CalAIM renewal to CMS for a five-year term through 2031

DHCS submitted its CalAIM Section 1115 renewal to CMS on May 11, 2026, asking for a term from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2031.

Finance department says May 14 budget will show full H.R. 1 costs

At an April 6, 2026 Assembly budget hearing, California Department of Finance officials said the January budget did not include the full cost of H.R. 1.

California budget counts on an MCO tax extension CMS has not granted

California's MCO tax does not meet H.R. 1's uniform-rate rule, and CMS approved it only through June 30, 2026, the LAO says. The January budget assumes a six-month extension to December 31, 2026 that CMS has not granted.

Kaiser therapists ratify contract 1,799-24, ending the longest U.S. Healthcare strike

Kaiser's NUHW therapists ratified a new contract 1,799-24 on May 8, 2026, ending a strike that began in October 2025 and reached the Central Valley. Mark Ghaly and former Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg mediated the deal, which adds raises and a pension.

Health4All Coalition Mobilizes Against Newsom May Revise $1.1B Additional Immigrant Medi-Cal Cuts

Historical proposal record: the Health4All coalition (CPEHN, California Academy of Family Physicians, CRLAF, immigrant rights organizations) mobilized to block Governor Newsom's expected May 14 May Revision proposal to cut $1.1B in additional Medi-Cal funding…

LA County CEO Fesia Davenport raises closing a county hospital

LA County CEO Fesia Davenport publicly raised closing one of the four Department of Health Services hospitals to cut costs in the 2026-27 budget, LAist reported. DHS is losing $750M a year in federal funding by 2028 and projects a $1.85B deficit.

Mobile crisis services could become an optional Medi-Cal benefit in April 2027

Mobile crisis services, now a statewide California benefit, could become optional in Medi-Cal in April 2027, CalMatters reported in May 2026.

HCAI confirms $233.6M for California from federal rural health fund

California's State Office of Rural Health at HCAI confirmed the state received $233.6M for federal fiscal year 2026 from the Rural Health Transformation Program. It is the state's first payment from the $50B, five-year fund created by H.R. 1.

L.A. Care expects to lose up to 650,000 members by 2028

In remarks published May 8, 2026, L.A. Care CEO Martha Santana-Chin told a CCALAC symposium she projects the plan will lose up to 650,000 members by 2028.

Sacramento County expects 73,000 residents to lose Medi-Cal in the next year

Sacramento County DHS Director Timothy Lutz said 73,000 residents will lose Medi-Cal in the next year, as the Davis Vanguard reported May 8, 2026. Of those, 6,500 will become the county's indigent care responsibility, costing tens of millions of dollars.

JAMA study finds 505 California CHWs gained skills after workforce investment

In May 2026, JAMA Network Open published the first rigorous peer-reviewed study of training for California CHWs and promotoras. The study of 505 workers found significant gains in knowledge, skills and confidence after structured workforce investment.

Kern County Public Health lays off 27 and closes its Shafter clinic

Kern County's Department of Public Health laid off 27 staff and closed its Shafter clinic, KGET and KVPR reported in May 2026. CDC grants that were supposed to run through June 30 stopped early on March 24, 2026.

Sacramento County budget sets aside $6.5M for behavioral health urgent care

Sacramento County's recommended 2026-27 budget sets aside $6.5M of an $11.8M Health Services allocation for a new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center.

Kern County Department of Public Health, 27 positions

CDC funding streams halted March 24, 2026 — early termination of grants supposed to run through June 30. Kern County Department of Public Health responded with 27-staff workforce reduction and shut down its Shafter public health clinic.

CA Assembly Democrats Draw 'Line in the Sand' on Safety Net Cuts in 2026-27 Budget Road Map, Bicameral Counter-Position Ahead of May Revise

California Assembly Democrats released their 2026-27 budget road map around May 7, 2026 (one week before Newsom's May Revise on May 14), declaring: 'In 2026 we will draw a line in the sand, defending the safety net programs such as in-home care…

Newsom signs AB 108, creating $25M in emergency grants for distressed hospitals

Governor Newsom signed AB 108 in early May 2026, creating a one-time $25M emergency grant fund for distressed hospitals. Eligibility includes under 10 days of cash on hand and a patient base over 50% Medi-Cal or uninsured.

Monterey County reopens Alisal Health Center in Salinas after five-month remodel

Monterey County's Alisal Health Center in Salinas reopens May 30, 2026, after a planned five-month remodel that began December 29, 2025. Patients went to other clinic sites during the closure.

100+ Organizations Formally Join CalChamber 'Affordable California' Coalition (the measure now on the ballot as Prop 45), Counter-Ballot Mobilization Phase

Building on the ~1M signatures filed April 27, the CalChamber-led 'Affordable California' coalition formally announced (May 6, 2026) that 100+ organizations — including business groups, taxpayer associations…

LA County DHS plans $743.6M reserve draw to cover $662M federal cut

LA County budget hearings began May 6, 2026, on a plan for DHS to spend $743.6M in reserves to cover a $662M federal gap. The fix lasts one year, and cuts would hit clinical services in 2027-28 when reserves run out.

Salud Para La Gente pays $750,000 to settle misbranded contraceptive claims

Salud Para La Gente, a Santa Cruz and Monterey County FQHC, agreed to pay $750,000 to settle False Claims Act allegations. The government alleged it billed Medi-Cal and Medicaid for misbranded contraceptives.

SEIU 1021 plans May 13 rally against San Francisco clinic closures

SEIU 1021 announced on May 6, 2026 a worker and community rally set for May 13 at the SE Mission Geriatric Clinic in San Francisco. The rally opposes the closure of the Cole, Larkin and Mission Geriatric clinics, and all CCSF union members are invited.

Lodi Wellness Center (San Joaquin Behavioral Health Services + Peer Recovery Services partnership)

Closure attributed to Prop 1 funding reallocation, which shifts behavioral health funding toward BHCIP capital + clinical services and away from peer/community-based BH programs.

Santa Clara County cuts safety-net programs to close a $787M deficit

Santa Clara County's May 5 budget makes steep cuts to social safety-net programs to close a $787M deficit, Local News Matters and San José Spotlight reported. They follow a $183M health-system cut in February.

Health Consumer Coalition Releases 'Medi-Cal 2030' Principles, Person-Centered Framework as Counterweight to H.R. 1 Cuts

A coalition of health consumer advocates released 'Medi-Cal 2030: Person-Centered, Accountable, Sustainable' principles on May 5, 2026 — explicitly framed to guide policymakers in the May Revise (May 14) and June 15 budget adoption.

Newsom says $5.8B in behavioral health projects will add 9,553 beds

Governor Newsom announced California has invested $5.8 billion through BHCIP and Bond BHCIP (Prop 1) in 437 behavioral health projects. The projects add 9,553 beds and 47,163 outpatient slots, projected to serve 5.4 million Californians a year.

CCALAC + CHC Coalition Issue Public Statement Against May Revision Medi-Cal Cuts and UIS PPS Elimination

Early May 2026, CCALAC issued a public statement (joined by CHCAPA and CoalitionOC) against the FY2026-27 May Revision proposals weakening Medi-Cal expansions: Health4All enrollment freeze (Jan 2026), $100/mo premium for Health4All (Jan 2027)…

San Bernardino County opens its 2026-27 budget cycle with three workshops

San Bernardino County opened its FY2026-27 budget cycle on May 5, 2026, with workshops in San Bernardino, Joshua Tree, and Hesperia. IEHP, with 1.5M members, projects it could lose up to 300K members to H.R. 1 and the UIS rollback.

CHA + Community Clinic Employers File Lawsuit to Block SEIU-UHW 90% Patient Care Ballot Measure

California Hospital Association and a community-clinic employer coalition filed suit on May 4, 2026 seeking to block the SEIU-UHW Clinic Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (Initiative 25-0008) from reaching the November 3, 2026 ballot.

Clinic employers sue to block SEIU-UHW's 90% measure from the ballot

The California Hospital Association and a clinic employer coalition sued on May 4, 2026 to keep SEIU-UHW's Initiative 25-0008 off the November 3 ballot, Sacramento News & Review reported.

FY2026-27 May Revision Advocacy Window Opens, CPCA / Health4All / CCALAC Coordinated Push for FQHC-Friendly Restorations

Historical May-budget advocacy window: CPCA, Health4All Coalition, CCALAC, and Health Access California coordinated trailer-bill and budget-amendment pressure around State-Only/UIS clinic payments, adult dental, UIS premiums, Prop 35 allocation…

Newsom's last May Revision was due mid-May with Medi-Cal costs in play

Governor Newsom's FY2026-27 May Revision, his last as governor, was expected in mid-May 2026, according to the California Budget & Policy Center. His January budget projected a $2.9B deficit and $1.1B in net Medi-Cal costs from H.R. 1.

Santa Clara County cuts 218 vacant behavioral health jobs amid $100M gap

Santa Clara County released its FY2026-27 budget on May 1, 2026, with its Behavioral Health Services Department facing a new $100M shortfall. The budget cuts 218 vacant positions, on top of $183M in Valley Healthcare cuts.

San Diego County releases 2026-28 budget ahead of June 24 adoption

San Diego County released its FY2026-28 Recommended Budget on May 1, 2026, opening public hearings before the board adopts it June 24. The county has $300M a year at risk under H.R. 1, and 327K to 400K residents could lose Medi-Cal.

South Central Family Health Center opens a two-story clinic in Huntington Park

South Central Family Health Center is opening a new two-story Huntington Park Family Health Center in early 2026, adding care in Southeast LA, the health center says. It opens amid 7 LA County DPH clinic closures and CHLA layoffs.

Prop 40 billionaire tax trails 46.6% to 53.4% as Prop 42 leads

The Secretary of State announced June 17 that SEIU-UHW's one-time 5% wealth tax on California billionaires QUALIFIED for the November 3, 2026 ballot (it submitted 1.55M signatures April 27 against an 874,641 threshold).

Santa Clara County budget shows a $100M behavioral health deficit

Santa Clara County released its FY2026-27 Recommended Budget on May 1, 2026, with a $100M behavioral health deficit, Local News Matters reported. That comes on top of $183M in Valley Healthcare cuts and 218 vacant positions eliminated.

Court dismissed the clinics' suit to block the 90% ballot measure

The California Primary Care Association and Open Door Community Health Centers sued in federal court to block SEIU-UHW's clinic spending initiative. The measure would require health centers to spend 90% of revenue on their mission.

Corrected Oct 6, 2026: AB 1113, the bill version of the 90% rule, died on January 31, 2026; it was not advancing when the suit was filed.

HCAI closes 2026 behavioral health training program applications April 30

HCAI's Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Community-Based Provider Training Program closed its 2026 application window on April 30, 2026, at 3:00 PM PT.