The Brief

Breaking with national public health policy, California officials are recommending that children 6 months to 2 years old, as well as people who are pregnant and lactating, should get vaccinated against COVID-19, following guidance from reputable medical groups.

In a statement to KQED, the California Department of Public Health said Wednesday that it endorses recent recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccines.

The guidance, released last month, was in line with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations under the Biden Administration.

“As a part of our efforts, along with our West Coast state partners and other states around the country, to provide a unified science-based approach to protecting the health of our communities, California is carefully considering guidance from various trusted national medical professional and scientifically based organizations,” the CDPH said.

Typically, the CDC sets vaccine recommendations based on the available data, which insurers use to set reimbursement guidelines. But under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has espoused virulent anti-vaccine rhetoric for decades — the CDC now only recommends COVID vaccines for “most adults ages 18 years and older.”

That left many in the medical community concerned that confusing and inconsistent messaging would cause vaccine rates to drop, and even make vaccines unaffordable for lower-income families whose insurance providers may no longer cover them.

Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, said the state is making a “wise” choice because data show that vaccines help minimize COVID-19 infections in typically healthier populations like children older than six months and young adults, and reduce the risk of urgent care and emergency room visits for COVID-19 patients “by 33%.”

“That’s pretty significant, and sort of mirrors what you see with flu vaccines as well. Functionally, that is what we are hoping for, for the general population, is to make you get less sick, fewer days of [missed] work [and] less utilization of the health care system,” Karan said.

“COVID spreads in waves. We have multiple waves per year, and they do require a large usage of our health care system. So if we have a safe, effective vaccine to reduce that healthcare usage in that healthier group, that’s important.”

Karan said that because California is following the guidance of leading medical groups, it’s likely insurance companies will cover the shots.

More importantly, he said, those states are adhering to the evidence.

“Whereas what is happening at HHS is … a lot of opinions, particularly from RFK Jr. himself, on unproven therapeutics, on risks that are not borne out by the data. And then he’s sort of just hand-waving and doing whatever he wants,” Karan said.

In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of an advisory committee that helps the CDC form its vaccine policies to begin to “restore public trust in vaccines.”

Dr. John Swartzberg, professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, said that by following the advice of leading medical groups, California and the other states of the West Coast Alliance are making it easier for families to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

“When you look at the data for very young children in terms of hospitalization and death, the rates are pretty comparable to older Americans,” Swartzberg said. “This is a vulnerable population where protection is terribly important. So I think that the California Department of Public Health, in following the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is spot on.”

Swartzberg said it is interesting to note that President Donald Trump even pushed back on Kennedy’s anti-vax stance in the last few days. Trump even expressed some skepticism about Florida’s push to phase out all childhood vaccine mandates.

“I think there are people in the administration who recognize that this is a hot button item, and all the Republicans are not really on board with where Kennedy is, so that might translate into the administration not trying to make a political football out of this with California,” he said. “We are very fortunate here in California. We have a department of health that is science-based and really solid.”

Who can get a new COVID vaccine right now?

The updated 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccines are currently available at CVS, Walgreens and Safeway pharmacies in California.

(Pharmacies take their cue from the federal government, not the states, so they’ve always been the first places that COVID-19 vaccines roll out — before shots become more widely available through providers and public health authorities.)

These pharmacy appointments are only available to people who, during the online booking process, say they are either:

• Age 65 and older
• Have a health condition that could make someone at higher risk from COVID-19

But what counts as “high risk”? To find out if you or a family member might qualify, you can consult the CDC’s current list of health conditions that potentially put you at higher risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from COVID-19, which includes cancer, chronic lung, kidney and liver disease and certain disabilities. However, it also encompasses other factors like mental health conditions — including depression — obesity and being a current or former smoker.

When listing some of these conditions, CVS’s online appointment also suggests “any other conditions or situations that place you at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (consult your pharmacist or medical provider if you need help).”

• Make a 2025 COVID-19 vaccine appointment at CVS
• Make a 2025 COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Walgreens 
• Make a 2025 COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Safeway

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an $843 million homelessness spending plan that includes nearly $200 million in reductions to programs and services in the next budget year.

Among those programs is Pathway Home, which helps move people from encampments into temporary housing. The county reduced funding for that program by $92 million, which will shrink it from 20 project sites to seven, officials said.

Supervisors also approved $105 million in reductions to other programs, including large cuts to street outreach teams, homelessness prevention programs and other supportive services.

County officials said they had to reduce spending in order to cover the rising costs of operating shelter beds and the loss of tens of millions in temporary state and federal funding, including some COVID-19 relief dollars.

“With federal neglect and state cuts, we have to do more with less,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath told LAist. “And we will.”

The county’s new Department of Homeless Services and Housing has been warning about the looming shortfall since July. County officials solicited input on how to fill an initial $303 million gap.

Since then, the department adjusted the county’s homelessness spending plan, after finding some one-time state grants and cost-saving measures.

The budget year starts July 1.

Some funding restored

Last month, local homeless service providers urged county officials to restore all of the more than $200 million in proposed reductions to programs and services. Some supervisors raised concerns about specific cuts.

Since then, new revenue projections show the county stands to bring in $21 million more through Measure A than originally anticipated.

Measure A is a sales tax ordinance, approved by L.A. County voters in 2024, that funds homeless services and affordable housing initiatives. It is expected to generate about $1 billion annually, but exact revenues fluctuate with consumer spending.

The county’s slightly rosier revenue projections allowed the homeless department to roll back a fraction of the proposed reductions.

“It’s not a windfall and it doesn’t solve every challenge, but it does give us the ability to restore important programs that were on the chopping block,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said.

The board voted to use much of that $21 million to restore funding for two dozen full-time outreach workers and about 100 shelter beds that were previously on the chopping block.

The plan approved Tuesday also calls for $5 million in Measure A revenue to partially restore funding for interim housing in Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale. It restored more than $1 million to operate family solution centers — hubs to connect unhoused families with services — and about $500,000 for a program that helps military veterans access government benefits.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell said she wishes Pathway Home funding could be maintained. She said it’s been crucial for helping people living in RV encampments in her district, which spans from Koreatown to much of the South Bay.

"These restorations don't expand encampment resolution operations,” Mitchell said Tuesday. “The services with the greatest impact in the Second District remain reduced, and the current plan does not replace what was cut."

County homelessness officials told supervisors the 100 shelter beds they saved will be prioritized for people living in encampments and will help make up for cuts to Pathway Home.

"The reduction to Pathway Home is not a reduced commitment to encampment resolution,” L.A. County Department of Homeless Services and Housing director Sarah Mahin said Tuesday. “It’s a recognition that it was built on one-time funding and we need to expand strategies to include more cost-effective resolution solutions."

New oversight push

The supervisors also voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a new motion focused on accountability in homeless service contracting. The motion by Horvath and Kathryn Barger directs the homelessness department to work with the county auditor-controller to create strict oversight procedures for contracts, including random site visits, performance monitoring and provisions for termination.

They said the goal is to prevent the mismanagement that has plagued the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the fraud that has resulted in recent arrests. Last month, federal authorities arrested Alex Soofer, director of a nonprofit called Abundant Blessings, on suspicion of embezzling tens of millions in dollars meant to serve unhoused Angelenos. Soofer pleaded not guilty to the charges this week.

"Public dollars intended to address homelessness have gone unaccounted for under LAHSA," Horvath said. “That is unacceptable and it ends now with the county.”

Last year, the board voted to divert more than $300 million in county homelessness dollars away from LAHSA and administer the funds itself with a new homelessness department.

“As the department launches, every contract, every dollar, and every outcome must withstand scrutiny,” Horvath told LAist in a statement. “We don’t have resources to waste or time to lose in addressing the homelessness crisis.”

Barger described instances of fraud within the homeless services sector as “moral failures” that cannot be tolerated.

“They represent theft from the most vulnerable people in our community,” she said.

She also argued that ethical service providers “should not have their reputations destroyed by the criminal actions of a few bad actors.”

Barger told fellow supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting it’s their responsibility to monitor how county homelessness dollars are being spent — and to defund programs that aren’t generating results.

“Setting the budget is the easy part,” Barger said. “We have to see results. And if we don’t, we have to have a debate at this board: is that the best use of these resources?”

The department must report back to the board in 60 days with their full plan for monitoring contractors and preventing fraud and misuse of public funds.

Auditor-Controller Oscar Valdez told supervisors his office would submit a plan to county homelessness officials Tuesday.

A crew of four moon-bound astronauts will remain on the ground for at least a month after NASA delayed the launch of the Artemis II mission. During critical pre-launch testing Monday, mission managers uncovered a number of issues that prevented the completion of the test.

NASA is now planning a March launch date for the four astronauts — three from the U.S. and one from Canada — on a ten-day mission to circle the moon and return to Earth, traveling farther than any humans have ventured into deep space.

Issues leading to that delay began about an hour into Monday's test, known as the wet dress rehearsal. As the team began fueling the rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sensors picked up a hydrogen leak. Super-chilled hydrogen is used as the fuel for the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Hydrogen is an efficient propellant for rockets — but its molecules are so tiny and light they can escape even the tightest of seals. Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said they had troubleshooted the initial leak, but when they began to pressurize the tank, another leak surfaced.

"And so as we began that pressurization, we did see that the leak within the cavity came up pretty quick," said Blackwell-Thompson.

(L/R) NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, NASA Associate Administrator Lori Glaze, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, and manager of NASA's Space Launch System Program, John Honeycutt, hold a news conference on the Artemis II mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Tuesday.

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo

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AFP via Getty Images

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Hydrogen leaks plagued testing of NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022. Blackwell-Thompson said lessons learned from that uncrewed flight were utilized for Artemis II, but there's more investigation is needed.

The wet dress rehearsal uncovered other issues — including a problem with the Orion capsule, which will carry the crew to the moon. While no one was on board Monday, teams practiced preparing the spacecraft for its passengers. A valve that pressurizes the vehicle required additional attention and took more time to close the hatch than anticipated.

Teams also uncovered issues with cameras due to cold weather and audio dropouts across communication channels. "As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems and the public," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a post on X, and that NASA will only launch when the agency is ready.

Work now begins to fix the issues. NASA will require another wet dress rehearsal before giving the "GO" to put astronauts on board. "All in all, a very successful day for us on many fronts," said Blackwell-Thompson. "Then, on many others, we got some work we've got to go do."

The earliest launch window for another attempt is March 6. NASA has additional launch opportunities on March 7, 8, 9 and 11.

The crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were released from quarantine and will remain in Houston, Texas. They'll re-enter quarantine about 14 days ahead of the next launch attempt and make the trip to the Kennedy Space Center six days before liftoff.

Artemis II is testing key systems of the Orion spacecraft, like its maneuverability and life support systems, ahead of the planned Artemis III mission that will take humans to the lunar surface. The Artemis II will mark the first time humans have returned to the moon since the final Apollo lunar mission in 1972.
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A trial got underway Tuesday in a case alleging that Huntington Beach illegally dilutes the power of Latino voters with its at-large election system.

Cities across Orange County and elsewhere in California have faced similar challenges over the past decade. Most have settled out of court by adopting by-district elections, where voters only vote on a city council representative from their area, rather than requiring candidates to run citywide. A notable exception is Santa Monica — the city has been fighting a challenge to its at-large election system in court for nearly 10 years.

Now, Huntington Beach is following suit.

The case was brought by the nonprofit group Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Victor Valladares, a Huntington Beach resident and Democratic Party activist. It’s being heard by Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig L. Griffin.

The argument against at-large city elections

The plaintiffs allege Latino voters can’t elect a candidate of their choice under the current system, in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. This alleged dilution of Latino voting power, they say, leads to poor representation and negative consequences for the city’s majority-Latino Oak View neighborhood.

“Their needs get ignored,” Kevin Shenkman, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said during his opening statement Tuesday. “It is a natural result of the at-large election system.”

Latinos make up about 20% of the population in Huntington Beach. Under a draft map of electoral districts drawn up by demographer David Ely, a witness for the plaintiffs, the district that includes the Oak View neighborhood would be 40% Latino. Plaintiffs argued this would give residents more power to elect a city councilmember who represents their interests.

The city’s defense of at-large elections

In their opening argument, lawyers representing Huntington Beach argued that Latinos in Huntington Beach are spread across the city and politically diverse.

The city’s lawyers also argued that recent elections of Latino city council members, including MMA star Tito Ortiz in 2020 and Gracey Van Der Mark in 2022, prove the city’s current at-large election system doesn’t impede Latino residents’ ability to participate in the local political process.

“The system works, it’s not broken, and the evidence will show that at trial,” said Anthony Taylor, one of the attorneys representing Huntington Beach.

The trial is expected to last into next week.

Go deeper

• Why were AI-equipped police cameras installed in this majority Latino Huntington Beach neighborhood?
• Huntington Beach's controversial voter ID law is illegal
• Voting by district gives Latino candidates a boost in Orange County
• District elections mean big governing changes for many California cities