Further evidence that running a hospital is like playing goalie for a dart-board team in a losing season. News items that surfaced Oct. 17 at a Fresno/Madera section meeting of the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California: Why does it take so long for California regulators to do an inspection of new clinics, operating rooms ...

When cages are rattled, who yells loudest and who gets attention? The perennial debate over shriveling California resources -- worse this year because of a $17 billion-plus budget deficit -- may boil down to a food fight pitting health care vs. education vs. prisons. And the courts may play a key role. Last week, I was ...