Lawsuit that prompted better care for mentally ill inmates ends

Dr. Katherine Warburton, Statewide Medical Director and Deputy Director of Clinical Operations for the California Department of State Hospitals, center. Kirsten Barlow, left, Lois Cross and Michelle Doty Cabrera on the right. From California Health Care, Panel 3: Behavioral Health. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly.

An 11-year lawsuit that helped transform how California cares for people who have committed crimes and struggle with mental illness has come to a quiet conclusion. In a five-page order issued last Monday, Judge S. Raj Chatterjee of Contra Costa County wrote that the state created a new treatment program for people who are arrested and deemed to be incompetent to stand trial, added more than 2,000 state hospital beds to care for them, and secured a permanent source of funding.

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Q&A

CW Q&A: CHA’s Carmela Coyle

Carmela Coyle. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly.

Longtime California Hospital Association President and CEO Carmela Coyle is retiring at the end of this year. We sat down with her recently to discuss challenges hospitals are facing in light of massive federal funding cuts over the next two years.

News

Panelists describe grim scenario at CW’s annual health conference

California Health Care, Panel 2: Aging and Elder Care. L-R: Robin Epley, Sacramento Bee; Dr. Lindsey Yourman, UC San Diego Health; Dr. Sarita Mohanty, SCAN Foundation; Hagar Dickman, Justice in Aging; Susan DeMarois, Leading Age. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly.

Panelists explored the state of healthcare in California today at Capitol Weekly’s annual conference on the topic Wednesday, describing a challenging time for providers and patients alike with little optimism for the near future. “People will fall through the cracks.”

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Autonomous tractors stay stalled in CA agriculture

Photo by Leah O'Tarrow.

While most states do not require drivers at the helm of tractors, California adheres to a decades-old California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) provision, Title 8, §3441(b), that requires moving, self-powered agricultural equipment to have a person at the controls.

Podcast

Larry Lee and The Sacramento Observer

Sacramento Observer publisher Larry Lee

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by Larry Lee, Publisher of The Sacramento Observer, and head of the rapidly expanding OBSERVER Media Group, which now includes the Sacramento News and Review, the Chico News and Review, and the Stockton Observer. The Observer has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, and has been named the “Best Black Newspaper in America” eight times. And, speaking of excellence, The Observer is hosting the 2026 ONYX Awards, honoring Sacramento’s most influential and respected Black leaders. Lee Gives us the history of the paper, shares his vision for OBSERVER Media, and talks about the honorees of this year’s ONYX Awards, including Hall of Famer Willie Brown.

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