Nurses and consumer advocates challenged Charles Munger Jr. and George Joseph, the two billionaires behind Props 32 and 33, to a public debate on the merits of the ballot measures they have together spent $39 million to promote. Props 32 and 33 will hurt working people in California, but the two reclusive billionaires have refused to step out of the shadows and defend their measures in a public forum, preferring to hide behind massive paid advertising campaigns fronted by public relations firms.

Registered nurses at Brotman Medical Center will hold a picket Tuesday morning to call on the private equity firm that operates the Culver City hospital to forego its proposals that would undercut patient care standards and make a commitment not to erode patient care.

Registered nurses and hospital officials have reached a tentative agreement on a first collective bargaining agreement at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica that ends a long-running dispute at the hospital, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United announced today. Key to the agreement are provisions that the nurses say will enhance patient protections, as well as economic gains, no reductions in nurses’ health coverage or pensions, and other contract protections that the RNs say will promote quality of care and retention of experienced RNs and recruitment of new nurses.

With little movement from Sutter corporate officials on their demands for sweeping reductions in patient care protections and nurses contract standards, registered nurses at Sutter hospitals in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties will hold a one-day strike on Thursday, November 1, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United said today.

Registered nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital and Regional Medical Center in San Jose have authorized a strike, if necessary, to protest hospital management demands they say will erode patient care and RN contract standards that will also undermine the ability of the hospital to recruit new RNs and have adverse effects on the San Jose community.

“Treat us, don’t trick us!” they demand! Hundreds of children, parents, and concerned community members will be picketing Saturday at 11a.m. to protest Kaiser Permanente’s plans to close the inpatient pediatrics unit in Hayward in 2014. More than 1,000 children a year are hospitalized in the unit. The event will have the first-ever children-only picket line at Kaiser, joined by friends dressed as popular Sesame Street characters who will be picketing alongside them.