The Brief

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When a possible measles case is identified in California, a phone rings at the local health department and the clock starts ticking.

Laboratory workers need to process samples as soon as possible to confirm the case. And a public health nurse must call the patient to find out where they’ve been and who they’ve been in contact with recently.

If test results are positive, the communicable disease team has 72 hours or less to identify anyone who has been exposed and may be at high risk of infection or serious illness. Those people must quarantine or take a dose of a post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent spread. For the next 21 days nurses will monitor the group for symptoms.

Measles is the most contagious vaccine-preventable viral infection in the world, and California is fighting multiple outbreaks. In a room where one person is infected, nine out of 10 unvaccinated people will also contract the disease. The viral particles also linger in the air long after the contagious person leaves, risking exposure to those who enter the room up to two hours later.

“That’s ridiculously infectious,” said Dr. Sharon Balter, director of acute communicable disease control with Los Angeles County public health. “It balloons very quickly, and because measles spreads very fast we have to get on it right away. We can’t say we’ll wait until tomorrow.”

California has a high enough vaccination rate — about 95% of kindergarteners — to provide herd immunity against measles, but throughout the state pockets of unvaccinated communities drive outbreaks, experts say.

Shasta and Riverside counties are working to contain localized outbreaks. These are the first measles outbreaks in the state since 2020 and are happening at a time when health departments have less money and fewer staff than in recent years. In total, seven counties have reported a total of 21 measles cases this year, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Throughout the country, 26 states have reported measles cases since the start of the year, including a massive outbreak in South Carolina where officials identified nearly 1,000 cases, mostly among unvaccinated children. It is the largest outbreak since theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eradicated more than 25 years ago.

“The United States is experiencing the highest numbers of measles cases, outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths in more than 30 years, driven by populations with low vaccination rates,” said California Public Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan in a statement earlier this month. “We all need to work together to share the medical evidence, benefits, and safety of vaccines to provide families the information they need to protect children and our communities."

Containment comes with high costs

Investigating any communicable disease is time-intensive and expensive. The first three measles cases reported in L.A. County this year cost an estimated $231,000, according to a health department analysis.

Why does it cost so much? Because a disease investigation often requires a legion of public health nurses, physicians, epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to follow-up with hundreds of contacts, Balter said.

A computer shows an analysis of measles sequencing results at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.

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Ariana Drehsler

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CalMatters

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That includes sometimes visiting homes or exposure sites. For example, a recent exposure at a daycare required nurses to wring urine out of used diapers to test babies for measles. County health workers monitored 246 people who had been exposed to those first three measles cases — and the work is ongoing.

On Feb. 19, the county reported its fourth measles case. All of them were related to international travel. Other cases in California also have primarily been related to travel either internationally or to states where there are outbreaks. An unvaccinated child in Napa County contracted measles in January after traveling to South Carolina.

Riverside County health officials reported one measles case where the child had not traveled recently, and Shasta County health officials suspect their first case could be related to travel in Southern California but are waiting for DNA testing for confirmation.

Orange County reported two travel-related cases this year.

Health departments have fewer resources, more cases

Local health departments rely heavily on federal funding to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but last year, the Trump administration slashed nearly $1 billion of public health funding from California. This year it attempted to claw back another $600 million from California and three other Democratic states.

Pending lawsuits froze the cuts, but local health departments are treating the money as a lost cause because they cannot bear the financial risk if a judge eventually rules in favor of the Trump administration.

Consequently, health departments closed clinics, terminated programs and laid off dozens of workers.

“What we can do with less is less unfortunately,” Balter said. L.A. county is facing a $50 million shortfall due to federal, state and local cuts and recently closed seven public health clinics.

Health departments are also confronting decreased public confidence: The high-profile questioning of vaccine safety and effectiveness by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has complicated public health’s struggle to contain the spread of preventable infections.

California Democratic leaders are aggressively fighting Kennedy’s direction. They sued to block the administration’s new vaccine guidelines, which stripped universal recommendation from seven childhood vaccines. They blame Kennedy and the Trump administration for “dismantling” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and stoking fears over debunked claims that vaccines cause autism.

The state also released its own vaccine guidelines and formed an alliance among four western states to share public health information and recommendations.

“Everything including the outbreaks, the financial cuts, the questions from the federal government that are arising are making our work very difficult,” said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County public health officer.

Lab Assistant Abraham Jimenez loads blood samples for automated serology testing for measles immunity status at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.

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Ariana Drehsler

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CalMatters

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Lab Assistant Abraham Jimenez loads blood samples for automated serology testing for measles immunity status at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.

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Ariana Drehsler

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CalMatters

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Twelve years ago, Orange County was the site of California’s largest measles outbreak in decades. An exposure at Disneyland from an unknown source infected 131 Californians and spread to six states, Canada and Mexico.

The outbreak, which lasted four months, spurred state lawmakers to pass some of the strictest childhood vaccine requirements in the country.

But even a single measles case requires “vast amounts of infrastructure” to contain, Chinsio-Kwong said. On average, the department identifies and monitors 100 exposed people per case. Since the start of last year, Orange County has lost $22 million in federal cuts to public health. The department is trying to protect their communicable disease surveillance work, but it gets harder with every cut.

“We're trying to prioritize our communicable disease control division,” health officer Chinsio-Kwong said. “There are a lot of different federal cuts, but we're putting that as front and center: That has to be saved no matter what.”

Measles spread in unvaccinated groups

Six hundred miles north, Shasta County is grappling with its first measles cases since 2019 and the state’s largest outbreak of the year.

In late January, a sick child visited a health clinic in Redding with measles symptoms that laboratory testing later confirmed. Health officials interviewed 278 people and identified six locations where others were exposed: a restaurant, a church basketball game, a gym, a park, Costco and the clinic.

They also identified seven other cases among family members or neighbors who were in close contact with the child.

It can take 21 days from the time of exposure for measles symptoms to develop. On Feb. 19, just before the end of that period, health officials confirmed a ninth case.

That person didn’t recognize the symptoms and visited several places while contagious, including a school, a church service, a basketball game and a clinic, said Daniel Walker, a Shasta County supervising epidemiologist. Now, the contract tracing process has started over. The communicable disease team expects to interview even more people this time.

All cases have been among children who were unvaccinated or did not know their vaccination status.

“It’s a great time to get immunized, because you can’t know when you’re next going to be exposed…especially because we’re in an outbreak situation,” Walker said.

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Computer science, nursing and electrical engineering are among the most lucrative fields of study for recent California undergraduates, who on average earn well over $100,000 four years after graduating in these majors.

That’s according to a new analysis of federal earning data by The HEA Group, an education research organization. The report found that, on average, recent California graduates who received a bachelor’s degree earned nearly twice that of high school graduates, reinforcing that bachelor degrees help expand opportunities for greater economic mobility.

More students are questioning the economic value of higher education amid rising costs to attend college in California. Last year, students who lived on campus reported an 18% increase in their overall expenses compared to the previous year, according to a California Student Aid Commission report.

Growing skepticism of higher education’s value partially inspired Michael Itzkowitz, The HEA Group’s president, to conduct its analysis. He said students should enter post-secondary education with their “eyes wide open” about both the cost of the degree and its potential payoff.

“Before students consider additional levels of education, it’s important that they know what kind of investment they’re gonna make upfront, but also what kind of payoff they’re gonna have on the back end,” Itzkowitz said.

Different degrees, different values

STEM degrees, those related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, are among the highest paying fields. Itzkowitz said that federal earning data of graduates from California colleges and universities was generally consistent to what he has observed nationally.

Those who earned a degree in mathematics and computer science earned an average salary of $138,785 four years after graduation — the highest of all the majors included in HEA’s analysis.

Other top earners included bachelor’s degree holders in computer engineering and nursing, which resulted in annual incomes of $125,120 and $123,693, respectively.

The analysis included nearly 277,000 graduates who received federal student aid. It found the most popular major is business administration, management and operations, which translated to an average salary of $74,271 four years after graduation.

Itzkowitz cautioned against using the database to determine the value of a particular major.

“A social work degree and an engineering degree exist for very different reasons, and both have different kinds of societal value that goes beyond the paycheck,” he said. “This is about being better informed of the outcomes before students spend the next two to four years of their life earning a degree.”

For students using the HEA database to make decisions about their field of study, it is important to consider what university they are attending, he said. A bachelor’s degree from one institution will lead to different outcomes compared to the same degree from other colleges.

The HEA analysis of roughly 3,000 bachelor’s, associate’s and certificate programs in California found that spending more time in school had economic benefits.

On average, those who obtained an associate’s degree earned on average $23,942 more than those with a certificate. Bachelor’s degree holders earned $34,769 more on average than those with an associate’s degree.

“I would argue it suggests that college is certainly still worth it when it comes to economics,” Itzkowitz said.

The U.S. Postal Service could "derail" the midterm election if it continues rushing out "untested" technology as part of President Trump's push to restrict mail-in voting, a newly released whistleblower report warns.

With voting by mail for the midterms set to officially start this week, key parts of the USPS plan for carrying out Trump's directives, including requirements for states to comply, remain blocked for now by a court order in the legal fight over the president's executive order.

Still, the mailing agency has been preparing for months to launch an online portal that would allow state election officials to submit absentee voters' names and ballot envelope barcodes required by the now-blocked rule.

Testing of that new system, however, has been insufficient, according to claims by a whistleblower, outlined in a disclosure that Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut submitted Monday to USPS.

"USPS leadership, it appears, has discarded all best practices as they speed the project to be ready for a September 1 implementation — raising questions about whether catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug," said the disclosure, prepared by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit organization representing the anonymous federal government official with direct knowledge of the Postal Service's development of the new system.

If courts allow USPS' plan for Trump's order to proceed for the midterms, problems with the online portal could lead to eligible absentee voters not receiving their mail-in ballots in time or at all.

One potential logistical hurdle, the whistleblower claimed, stems from an unusual "zero-percent failure policy" USPS has set for the process of verifying that the mail-in ballots states want to send out meet the requirements of its new rule.

"As designed, the process is entirely unforgiving. It could delay ballots by the thousands in repeated verification cycles — and thus prevent states from mailing enormous numbers of ballots," the disclosure said.

Spokespeople for USPS did not immediately respond to NPR's questions about the whistleblower disclosure.

In a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner, Blumenthal urged Steiner to "abandon this ill-conceived, unconscionable plan and ensure that all Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote, including by mail, without interference by USPS."

Blumenthal said on a phone call with reporters that he found the details of the disclosure "mind-boggling" as an elected official and U.S. citizen.

"And what the disclosure reveals is that the Postal Service has designed a system that is intended to fail," the senator added.

The president, who has voted by mail himself, defended his directives for USPS and other federal agencies as a way to curb illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens, which many studies and audits show is extremely rare.

Last week, a federal judge in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against USPS after finding that its plan for Trump's order is likely illegal because the mailing agency has no authority to control voting by mail.

The Trump administration has appealed that ruling to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, setting up what will likely be another battle at the Supreme Court, which has not yet weighed in on the legality of Trump's directives.

More lower court rulings on Trump's order may also be on the way as election officials and mail-in voters attempt to sort through the uncertainty the ongoing legal fight has caused.

Editor's note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.

Edited by Megan Pratz

Copyright 2026 NPR

Los Angeles County rolled out a new way to participate in Board of Supervisors meetings Tuesday with a revamped registration system that officials say will make it easier for residents to have their voices heard.

Under the pilot system, people making public comments over the phone will get a text message reminder when the item they want to speak on is before the board, meaning they don’t have to watch an entire meeting that can run hours-long. It also gets rid of all the access codes, pins and “raise hand” features callers would’ve been required to use.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district stretches from Whittier to Catalina Island, said what the board does is for the public, and it's the board's responsibility to make it as seamless and accessible as possible for residents to share their thoughts.

“This overhaul of our public comment system is about empowering residents in every corner of L.A. County — especially those who may not be able to take time out of their Tuesdays to come down to the Board Room — to speak up on the decisions that affect their lives,” Hahn said in a statement.

How does it work?

First, register here starting at 9 a.m. the day of the meeting if you’re planning to make public comments in person or over the phone. It’ll ask you to select the meeting you want to participate in and the agenda item(s) you want to speak on.

To speak over the phone, you’ll have to call (213) 444-2600 to connect to the meeting. Pins and access codes are no longer required, but expect to follow some prompts when you dial in. Plus, if you get disconnected, you won’t lose your place in line.

You’ll then get a text reminder when your agenda item is up (don’t forget to enter your phone number and opt in when you register). Each speaker will be called by name or by the last four digits of their phone number.

To speak in person, you can also register at a kiosk in the boardroom. You should check in at the kiosk when you arrive and wait until your name is called to the podium to speak.

You’re not required to register, but it’ll make the process quicker, according to county officials. Anonymous public comments are also allowed.

Officials said the new system is accessible for people with disabilities, including a portal that supports screen readers for blind or visually impaired people.

You can still submit written public comments online through the board’s website.

Why it matters

Residents have expressed “many concerns” about the previous public comment system for both in person and over the phone, Supervisor Hilda Solis said during Tuesday’s board meeting.

“I hope everyone will utilize this new system, it has been a great investment,” said Solis, who is also chair of the board. “I hope this will help to expedite all of those concerns.”

The pilot comes about a year after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors introduced real-time translation services and moved to a new teleconference platform for public comments after people reported issues with the old system.

How can I keep up with the board meetings?

• When: Supervisors meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. You can find the full calendar, including canceled meetings, here.
• Where: Room 381-B, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.
• How to watch: The meetings are broadcast live here and on YouTube. 
  
  • They’re also aired on KLCS in the city of L.A. at 11 p.m. the following Wednesday.
• Agendas: You can find the agendas for each meeting here.
  
  • You can also sign up to have the agendas sent straight to your email inbox through that page.
  • If your internet access is iffy, you can call (213) 974-1442 to ask for the agenda to be mailed to you.

Kroenke Sports and Entertainment has reached a deal to purchase controlling ownership of the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno.

The company led by Stan Kroenke made the surprising announcement Tuesday, saying it expects to close the transaction in early 2027. Major League Baseball, which must approve any sale, didn’t immediately comment on the news.

Kroenke’s company owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, Premier League champion Arsenal, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and SoFi Stadium, along with the large Hollywood Park campus around the multibillion-dollar Inglewood arena. The conglomerate has now moved into baseball with the Angels, whose turbulent 23-year tenure under Moreno’s ownership will finally come to an end.

“The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market,” Kroenke said in a statement. “We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.”

Moreno, an outdoor advertising magnate from Arizona, bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003. While the club had steady success in its first years under Moreno with much of the roster that won the 2002 World Series, winning five AL West titles in six seasons during the 2000s, the Halos have entered a period of decline since their most recent playoff victory in 2009.

At 53-85, the AL-worst Angels are currently headed to their 11th consecutive losing season and their 12th consecutive non-playoff season, both the longest active streaks in the majors.