Hopeton Leahong, a family nurse practitioner, examines Ramonte Means at St. John’s Community Health’s Avalon Clinic in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2026. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
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Two years ago, California hit a milestone decades in the making: Nearly every person in the state qualified for health insurance, regardless of immigration status and income, pushing the state’s insured rate to a record 95%. Now that progress is unravelling.
Facing budget shortfalls and new federal restrictions, state leaders have begun rolling back the coverage system they built. Analysis at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research project California’s uninsured rate could nearly double, to almost 15%, by 2030.
“I knew it was going to be bad, but seeing that doubling was shocking to me,” said Miranda Dietz, director of the labor center’s healthcare program.
An estimated 2.2 million people could lose insurance over the next four years from combined state and federal cuts, the researchers found. The losses will fall hardest on undocumented immigrants and low-income Californians, with the uninsured rate more than doubling among Black and Asian Californians. The southern part of the state will bear the brunt, driven by its larger share of low-income and immigrant residents.
Many Californians remember how difficult it was to get healthcare before the state expanded and improved insurance options.
In 2008, Kandi Hill had just given birth to her third child. When she started throwing up and experiencing irregular menstrual cycles with heavy bleeding she struggled to find a doctor who would run any tests other than an STD panel. In a matter of months, she died from stage four cervical cancer. She was 31.
Cervical cancer has a 91% five-year survival rate if caught and treated early, according to the National Cancer Institute, but back then the Medi-Cal system was bare bones, and doctors didn’t seem to take poor Black patients seriously, said her husband, Ramonte Means.
Means was left to raise two small children and an infant alone. He has been the sole provider for his family ever since, often working part-time and frequently without insurance, stitching together multiple jobs — janitorial work, customer service, job coaching — to make ends meet. Usually, Means said, his employers won’t give him full-time hours so that they don’t have to provide benefits. With multiple part-time jobs, he tries to keep his income low enough to qualify for Medi-Cal and ensure his kids stay covered too. He’d rather get insurance through an employer, but he can’t afford a plan out-of-pocket.
“None of us want anything for free. I work two jobs. My kids go to school,” Means said. “We’re just asking for some dignity.”
Today’s Medi-Cal isn’t perfect, Means says, but it’s much better than when his wife died — patients have more benefits and can see specialists.
“I truly believe if all this happened now, she’d have been fine,” Means said. “The system failed my kids more than anything — failed the whole family.”
Millions gain coverage
When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, California quickly expanded its Medicaid program. Previously, the program was reserved for women and children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Low-income adults were excluded unless they had dependent children. The law allowed California to open enrollment to childless adults and raised the income limit to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $22,000 for an individual today.
More than 5 million Californians gained coverage, including Means, who had occasionally earned too much money before the change.
“So 138% poverty is not a lot of money in terms of increasing income, but when you talk about how many people actually become eligible it has a significant impact,” said Nadereh Pourat, associate director at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
An additional 1.7 million middle-income Californians bought insurance through the commercial Affordable Care Act marketplace known as Covered California.
“That’s a huge policy change,” said Rachel Linn Gish, spokesperson for Health Access California, a consumer advocacy group. “Millions and millions and millions of Californians covered in 10 years. No other state can say that.”
Still, one major group remained uninsured: undocumented immigrants. They account for about 2.3 million residents, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
Newsom: The healthcare governor
Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned on a promise to bring single-payer healthcare to the state. He pivoted to expanding access within the existing system — transforming Medi-Cal with new benefits and a focus on high-quality primary care.
The Democratic governor’s administration also launched the state’s second-largest coverage expansion, phasing in Medi-Cal eligibility for low-income undocumented adults until all adults and children qualified in 2024.
“We’re making sure that universal access to healthcare coverage becomes a reality here in California,” Newsom said in 2022 when the state allowed undocumented seniors to enroll in Medi-Cal.
At its peak, the state-funded expansion covered 1.4 million adults and 217,000 children and cost more than $10 billion a year.
Republican lawmakers have sharply criticized that price tag, and increasingly, so have moderate Democrats.
Total Medi-Cal spending has more than doubled since Newsom took office in 2019, growing from about $96 billion to $217 billion this year. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office attributes most of that growth to higher spending per recipient — added benefits, higher drug prices and some demographic changes — rather than enrollment alone. People are seeing doctors more, and each visit is more expensive.
Medi-Cal cuts loom
Orlando and Lourdes are immigrants from El Salvador. CalMatters is using only their middle names because they fear being identified by immigration officials. Orlando has lived in Los Angeles for more than 20 years and works in construction with a work permit. Lourdes manages a store and is undocumented.
Recent federal immigration raids have already upended their lives. They’ve had to counsel their 6-year-old daughter that there are “good police” and “bad police.” Now Lourdes, who needs radiation therapy for cancer, worries about losing her Medi-Cal insurance.
To slow Medi-Cal’s growth, the state froze enrollment for undocumented adults starting in January; roughly 86,000 fewer undocumented immigrants are covered.
Starting next summer, immigrants without legal status will lose dental benefits and face new monthly premiums. These and cuts to coverage for some legal immigrants are expected to push about 800,000 people off insurance, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
“We pay taxes every year. We deserve to have health insurance,” Orlando said.
Services have also been curtailed more broadly. Last year, the state dropped coverage of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for people who are simply overweight, keeping them only for more serious diagnoses like diabetes. This year, lawmakers scaled back wraparound services, including case management and medical meal-delivery services for low-income patients. They also reinstated a wealth test that caps how much savings an enrollee can have, regardless of their income, which advocates say punishes people for building a financial cushion.
The cuts have stirred outcry from lawmakers on the left, some of whom want the state to raise revenue through corporate taxes or other means rather than shrink Medi-Cal.
First: Left to right, Vanesa Duran, lead care manager at St. John’s Community Health, talks with Patient Maria Gomez, at a group home in Compton on Feb. 6, 2026. Last: Grace Calderon, HIV testing counselor and community health worker for St. John’s Community Health, takes a blood sample from a patient at a St. John’s Community Health mobile clinic in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2026. Photos by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
Bukola Olusanya, regional medical director for St. John’s Community Health, inside a mobile clinic van parked in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2026. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat from Long Beach and chair of the Latino Caucus, said she pressed Newsom and his team twice to save benefits for undocumented people.
“I said this is legacy work for you, and I don’t want you to ever forget that,” Gonzalez said. “For this to happen was just really surprising.”
Linn Gish credited Newsom with supporting healthcare access “from day one” but called the recent rollbacks disappointing: “We hoped he would be a champion until the end.”
Newsom’s office declined an interview request. In a statement, the Department of Health Care Services emphasized that the Legislature voted to approve the budget that included the cuts and said Newsom remains committed to “responsibly” supporting universal coverage.
“Gov. Newsom has consistently highlighted California’s coverage gains as central to his broader commitment to universal healthcare coverage and a more inclusive safety net,” the statement said.
Federal challenges
Many Democrats, Newsom chief among them, blame President Donald Trump, whose One Big Beautiful Bill tax reform law rewrote Medi-Cal rules and cut federal funding to California. The law also let enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, contributing to a 140,000-person drop in Covered California enrollment. State officials estimate the Medi-Cal program could lose more than $30 billion annually once federal changes fully take effect in 2027.
“All it takes is one piece of lost mail and all of a sudden you lose coverage … and things can snowball,” said Dylan Roby, a health policy researcher and professor at UC Irvine.
Those losses won’t be spread evenly. Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California could see the steepest declines, according to the Labor Center, which also projects that Latino Californians will lose coverage faster than other groups.
Linnea Koopmans, CEO of Local Health Plans of California, which represents Medi-Cal insurers, said the combined cuts will create a two-tiered system of haves and have-nots.“There’s a lot at stake and a lot to be lost,” Koopmans said.
But some Republican lawmakers counter that blaming Washington, D.C. is disingenuous. California has run deficits for four straight years, predating most federal restrictions, which haven’t even taken effect yet.
Sen. Roger Niello, a Republican from Roseville and vice chair of the budget committee, put the current impact of federal healthcare restrictions at $3 billion out of a $351 billion state budget.
“It’s difficult (to argue) that the woes are being caused by the federal government,” Niello said, calling the state’s spending problem structural. Revenues have grown, but spending has grown faster.
The current budget leaves the toughest healthcare decisions to the next governor.
“Gov. Newsom says he solved the deficit for the next governor. He hasn’t,” Niello said.
Maria Wijnanda Petronella Oosterwijk VanderVeldt July 7, 1931 – July 11, 2026
Maria, beloved mother, Oma, Over-Oma and friend, passed away peacefully at her
home in Eureka on July 11, 2026, at the age of 95, surrounded by her
loving daughters.
Born on July 7, 1931, in The Netherlands, Maria lived a life defined by faith,
kindness, resilience and unwavering devotion to those she loved. On January 24,
1956, she married the love of her life, Cornelis “Neal” VanderVeldt, in Bovenkerk,
The Netherlands. A mere three days later, they set sail from their homeland to make
a new life in the United States, where both eventually obtained citizenship. From
Minnesota to Oregon and then to California, they built a life together centered on
faith, family, hard work and love, creating a foundation for their five daughters to
find success.
Over the course of her remarkable 95 years, Maria witnessed extraordinary changes
in the world — from an era of handwritten letters, ocean voyages and simple
household conveniences to one shaped by instant communication, advanced
technology and an increasingly connected global community. Yet she never
allowed change to leave her behind. With curiosity, determination and a wonderful
willingness to learn, she successfully navigated social media, kept in touch with
loved ones overseas and across the country through Skype and Facebook, used an
iPad with confidence, embraced high-tech gadgets in her home, and even took on
the challenge of learning Spanish. Her adaptability reflected both her intelligence
and her enduring enthusiasm for life, allowing her to remain engaged, independent and connected across generations.
Maria found joy in the simple blessings of life — a home where family was always
welcome; coffee and tea time with family, friends and anyone else who happened
to stop by; quiet moments of prayer; traveling around the country in a camper;
baking bread; and cheering on the athletic pursuits of Olympic athletes or cyclists
on the Tour de France. She could sew, dance and dish out pithy aphorisms that
didn’t always have the smoothest translation from Dutch to English. She found joy
in the beauty of nature – whether in the summers spent in the company of family
camping at Trinity Lake, finding appreciation in the flowers and plants around her
neighborhood, or the simple delight of fresh vegetables from a friend’s garden. She
also dedicated countless hours giving back to her church and local schools; notably
she is remembered for her handmade pinecone wreaths for the Worthington
Carnivals.
Maria is survived by her loving daughters Sophia Ustick, MaryLou (Don) Quick,
Theresa (Tim McGaw) VanderVeldt and Victoria (Mike) Dowd; grandchildren Riev
Ustick, Casey (Adriane) Ustick, Brenna Ustick, Cara (KJ) Johnson, Veronica (Jason)
McCullough, Liesl (Andrew) Shakespeare, Jon (Allison) Quick, Daniel Quick, Donnie
(Sarah) Quick, Kelly (Gary) Champagne, Ryan McGaw, Colin McGaw, Delaney
Dowd and Brandon Dowd, 19 great-grandchildren, extended family members and
many dear friends who will forever treasure the memories they shared with her.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Neal; daughter and son-in-law
Erica and Alan Mills, parents Maria (Helsloot) and Bernardes Oosterwijk; brothers
Gerard, Ben, Jan, Ad and Piet; sisters Lena and Corrie, great-grandson Noah
Shakespeare; and many cherished family members who welcomed her into eternal
rest.
The family finds comfort in knowing that Maria’s earthly journey has ended and that
she now rests in the peace and presence of the Lord. Though she will be deeply
missed, her legacy of love, compassion and faith will continue to live on in the
hearts of all who knew her.
A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church on Saturday, September 5, 2026,
at 10 a.m. A celebration of life will follow where family and friends can gather to
honor her memory, share stories and give thanks for the remarkable gift of her 95
years. The family would like to thank Hospice of Humboldt, Sacred Heart Church
and all the friends and neighbors for their support, meals and visits during the last
months of her life.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Maria VanderVeldt’sloved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Aerial view of the Las Vegas home co-owned by Shannon Miranda and James Oxborrow. | Screenshot of image from the Clark County Assessor’s Office.
In the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of animal cruelty, fraud and theft at his Fortuna animal rescue sanctuary, Shannon Miranda has placed the 5,000-square-foot Las Vegas home he co-owns with husband James Oxborrow on the market for $1,099,950.
Click on over to lasvegasluxuryresidences.com to see 89 photos of the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house, which boasts a wide array of Vegas-style amenities, including custom chandeliers, a vaulted entrance with double staircase, a lap pool with elevated spa, a two-way gas fireplace and much more.
Miranda and Oxborrow purchased the home in February 2024, according to the Clark County, Nev., Assessor’s Office. It was placed on the real estate market late last week.
The home is part of a gated community with a homeowners’ association.
Reached via text, Miranda declined to comment on the record.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle this morning published a deep-dive investigative story on the history of Miranda’s Rescue. There’s a paywall, but if you’re a subscriber or can get one to share it with you, the story is well worth reading.
Terrier-mix Bentley (left) and chihuahua Ashley were injured over the weekend after confronting a pair of juvenile black bears in Kneeland. | Photos courtesy Paula Ray.
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Paula Ray, owner-operator of the nonprofit Karuna Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Kneeland, was making her usual late-night rounds on Saturday (or early Sunday, technically) when she encountered some unwelcome intruders: a pair of juvenile American black bears raiding the grain bins in her barn.
“They were startled,” she said in a phone interview this afternoon. “I was startled!”
On one level, Ray realized that the bears probably meant her no harm. (Black bears are typically shy, and attacks on humans are rare.) Still, they were pretty darn big — maybe 400-500 pounds, by her estimate — and they were cornered.
“So I tried to back out of the doorway,” Ray said. While backpedaling, however, she fell and twisted her knee.
That’s when two pint-sized rescue dogs — an apple-headed chihuahua named Ashley and a fluffy white terrier mix named Bentley — leapt into action.
“They jumped right in between me and these two bears,” Ray recalled.
She remembers what happened next as if it played in slow-motion. The bears snatched the barking dogs into their mouths and violently flung them aside before scampering out of the barn. Despite being seriously injured, Bentley and Ashley quickly popped up and ran barking after the retreating bears.
Ray, limping on her twisted knee, found Bentley outside. He was badly hurt and hadn’t managed to get far. After loading the wounded Bentley into her vehicle, Ray searched until she found Ashley hiding under the pig house. She rushed both dogs to the emergency veterinarian on call at Arcata Animal Hospital, where they received care for roughly four straight hours.
Ashley, the chihuahua, had been bitten in the shoulder and chest, breaking her right scapula and causing nerve damage in her leg. Bentley suffered bite wounds on his back and right leg and a deep, claw-scrape gash along his left shoulder that separated the top layer of skin from the muscle.
“They have some pretty horrific wounds,” Ray said.
Both dogs will require surgery, and in a social media post, Ray called on the community to help cover the existing medical bills (nearly $5,000) as well as cost of their upcoming procedures. (Ray said she may have found an orthopedic surgeon in Santa Rosa who can perform the surgeries.)
“I think we’ve raised almost $6,000 since Saturday,” she said.
Karuna Animal Rescue Sanctuary opened in May 2021, and Ray said the plan was to just be a horse rescue.
“But, you know, there are so many animals in need,” she said. “We have ended up with horses, llamas, goats, pigs, sheep, cows. We’ve had a yak, a lot of dogs. We’ve had birds. We’ve had a snake. We’ve had pretty much everything, and every time a new type of animal comes in, of course, we have to set up for that animal.”
The sanctuary is located on a sprawling ranch property up Greenwood Heights Drive Kneeland Road, tucked into the trees just below the open, rolling hills that dominate the top of the ridge.
“The animals just kind of roam free,” Ray said. “It’s very beautiful.”
She and her fellow shelter operators had seen these two juvenile bears before Saturday.
“I think these must be like last year’s bears or the year before, but they’re definitely together,” Ray said. “We’ve seen them come through. They’ve never bothered us, but this time … they got into that food room because there is a big opening at the very top of the wall, which now we’re closing.”
Ray said she has yet to seek medical attention for her twisted knee because she’s been busy “desperately” trying to raise funds and find a surgeon for her dogs. But she feels they deserve to be her top priority.
I just know that if those dogs hadn’t been there, I would have been in the hospital,” she said. “And so, you know, everything these dogs need, they’re gonna get.”
State Sen. Mike McGuire is in store for a jam-packed Tuesday! Our high-octane North Coast representative is gearing up for two public events that may be of interest to the seafaring and climate-minded folk among us.
First, McGuire will host the Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum, also known as the California State of Fisheries hearing, at the State Capitol at 1 p.m. to discuss obstacles facing both the salmon and Dungeness crab fisheries. Details:
The 51st Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum, presenting the state of California’s fisheries, will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the State Capitol.
The hearing will examine the successes and obstacles facing California’s iconic salmon populations, detail the 2026-27 Dungeness crab season outlook, and discuss the potential impacts of this year’s Super El Niño on coastal and marine ecosystems. California’s Secretary of Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot, will also advance his annual report to those in attendance including Northern California Tribal councils and representatives from the commercial fishing fleet, environmental organizations, and the scientific community.
What: 51st Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum
Where: State Capitol Swing Space, 1021 O Street, Room 2200
When: Tuesday, August 4, 1:00 p.m.
Who: Attendees will hear the latest forecasts, data, and observations from California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, state and Tribal leaders, and representatives of the commercial fishing fleet, scientists, and environmental leaders.
The forum is open to the public and will also be live streamed on the Senate website: http://senate.ca.gov/. For more information, visit the Joint Committee Fisheries and Aquaculture Committee website at: http://fisheries.legislature.ca.gov/.
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A little later in the evening, McGuire will host a virtual town hall with regional weather experts to discuss the incoming “super” El Niño that’s shaping up to be the strongest in a generation, if not ever. The weather pattern, fueled by rising sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to bring extreme weather to the West Coast in the fall and winter months.
A typical El Niño often results in a wet winter, especially in Southern California, whereas La Niña tends to bring drier conditions to the West Coast. A rare “super” El Niño, which happens every 10 to 15 years, tends to bring more unpredictable weather patterns, ranging from record-breaking tropical storms to extreme drought. Along with increased flood risk, a wet El Niño winter has the potential to fuel explosive vegetation growth, increasing fire risk in the summer months.
Interestingly, the El Niño Southern Oscillation — made up of both El Niño and La Niña — doesn’t seem to have as great of an impact here in Northern California, according to the National Weather service.
Armed with a panel of weather experts, McGuire plans to “separate fact from fiction” and give residents a clearer picture of what to expect this winter season. Details:
Who: Sen. McGuire, climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain, Bay Area meteorologist Mark Tamayo, and leadership from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
Temperatures could reach 111 degrees Fahrenheit in interior Humboldt County this week, prompting the Eureka National Weather Service to urge precautions to avoid heat illness.
Even coastal areas could see record breaking temperatures in the 70s.
The NWS heat advisory, in effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday, warns of temperatures from 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit bringing a moderate to major heat risk.
The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services offers tips for cooling off:
HEAT ADVISORY – COOLING CENTERS AVAILABLE
Monday, August 3 – Sunday, August 8
With hot temperatures expected throughout the week.
Cooling Centers Available:
Neighborhood Facilities (NF). Open 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily.
Hoopa Senior Center. Open 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily for all seniors needing a cool, safe place during the heat.
Heat Safety Tips:
Drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
Stay indoors or in air-conditioned locations during the hottest part of the day.
Avoid strenuous outdoor activities between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing
Check on elderly family members, neighbors, and anyone who may be vulnerable to extreme heat.
Never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles.
Please help spread the word and check on those who may need assistance during this period of extreme heat.
Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay safe.
Water Safety Reminder!
The Trinity River is a beautiful and popular recreation area; however, it can also present serious and unpredictable hazards, including strong currents, cold water temperatures, submerged obstacles, and rapidly changing conditions. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office urges everyone recreating on or near the river to take the following precautions:
Wear a properly fitted life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD), especially while swimming, boating, or tubing.
Never underestimate the power of moving water, even in areas that appear calm or shallow.
Avoid entering the river alone and always inform someone of your plans.
Closely supervise children around all bodies of water.
Avoid alcohol or impairing substances while participating in water activities.
Know your limits and exit the water if conditions become unsafe.
A moment of preparation can help prevent a tragedy.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
During
the months of June and July 2026, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s
Office conducted a sex offender registration compliance sweep
throughout the County of Humboldt for registrants that reside within
its jurisdiction.
During compliance sweeps, law enforcement attempts to contact
registered sex offenders in Humboldt County to ensure each offender
is in compliance with their registration requirements. Pursuant to
California Penal Code 290, sex offender registrants are required
to register in person with the law enforcement agency that has
jurisdiction where they reside. The registrants must also comply with
several registration requirements, such as updating their
registration annually and informing law enforcement when any changes
have been made to their address or registration information. Failure
by a sex registrant to keep law enforcement notified of an address
change or registration information is a crime and can be punished as
a felony or misdemeanor depending on the original offense
committed by the registrant and other factors.
As of July 28th, 2026, there are 197 registered sex offenders in
Humboldt County that are required to register with the Humboldt
County Sheriff’s Office. Of the 197 registered sex offenders within
the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, 17 of those offenders are
registered as transient.
During the compliance sweep in June and July, 167 registrants were
determined to be in compliance, 13 registrants were suspected of
being out of compliance, 12 were unable to be contacted, 5 offenders
were currently incarcerated and 1 was discovered to have moved out of
the area. Additionally, 6 arrests were made during the operation.
Investigators are completing follow-up investigations into those
found to be out of compliance that were unable to be
contacted and anticipate additional arrest warrants to be
submitted to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Please
keep in mind, those that were unable to be contacted does not
necessarily mean they are out of compliance. Often times the
compliance sweep takes place on weekdays during work hours, and it is
expected that some registrants may not be home during those times.
The annual sweep is a collaborative effort to reduce violent
sexual offenses in the county through proactive monitoring of sexual
offenders, and strict enforcement of state registration requirements.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is a participant in the Region
II Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team, and these
enforcement efforts are funded through the SAFE grant.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would also encourage
members of the public to research Megan’s Law, which is a set of
state and federal laws that require sex offenders to register with
law enforcement, and make information about their registration and
whereabouts public. The primary purpose is to protect communities,
particularly children, from potential harm by sexual offenders. This
is achieved by providing the public with access to information about
registered sex offenders and allowing law enforcement to notify
communities about their presence. Megan’s Law website can be
accessed at the following link:
