NEWSROOM

The San Francisco Chronicle reported in December on violations by California health care facilities from 2022 through November 2025. The California Department of Public Health cited 20 hospitals and other facilities during the four-year period.

Violations included a range of issues, including:

• Quality of care (failure to meet patient care standards, including creating and following plans or avoiding medical errors)

• Medication and pharmacy services (failure to properly administrator patient medications or follow regulations of pharmacy services

• Staffing (failure to have adequate or qualified and trained staff)

• Food and nutrition services (failure to ensure food is nutritious, safe, or meets patients’ medical needs and preferences)

• Infection control and sanitation (failure to develop or implement policies to prevent infection)

• Patient rights (failure to uphold patients’ rights to dignity and independence, upholding privacy, or communicating with caretakers)

• Medical records (failure to create or regularly update patient records)

• Building safety (facility is not well maintained or up to date on patient safety or emergency preparedness regulations)

The 20 facilities with the most violations stretch from San Diego and La Jolla in Southern California to Fresno in Central California and communities like Sacramento, San Jose, and Walnut Creek in Northern California. They include:

• Department of State Hospitals – Napa; intermediate care facility; 93 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 150 regulatory violations

• Department of State Hospitals – Metropolitan (Norwalk); acute psychiatric hospital; 47 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 101 regulatory violations

• UCSF Medical Center Parnassus; general acute care hospital; 11 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 19 regulatory violations

• Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero; intermediate care facility; 29 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 50 regulatory violations

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles; general acute care hospital; 13 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 17 regulatory violations

• Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego; general acute care hospital; 10 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 17 regulatory violations

• Department of State Hospitals – Patton; intermediate care facility; 25 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 64 regulatory violations

• California Health Care Facility – Stockton; correctional treatment center; 27 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 62 regulatory violations

• Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center; skilled nursing facility; 76 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 319 regulatory violations

• Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno; general acute care hospital; 13 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 266 regulatory violations

• Los Angeles General Medical Center; general acute care hospital; 95 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 101 regulatory violations

• Scripps Mercy Hospital, San Diego; general acute care hospital; 14 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 15 regulatory violations

• University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento; general acute care hospital; 57 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 123 regulatory violations

• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose; general acute care hospital; 26 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 63 regulatory violations

• Scripps Mercy Hospital, La Jolla; general acute care hospital; 11 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 11 regulatory violations

• UCI Health – Orange; general acute care hospital; 47 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 104 regulatory violations

• Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Los Angeles; general acute care hospital; 10 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 32 regulatory violations

• Kaweah Health Medical Center, Visalia; general acute care hospital; 59 inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 144 regulatory violations

• John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek; general acute care hospital; four inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 15 regulatory violations

• Torrance Memorial Medical Center; general acute care hospital; six inspection reports since 2022 found a total of 19 regulatory violations

If you or your clients want to research additional health care providers, including hospitals and doctors, several comparative sources are available online:

• Healthgrades

• Medicare.gov (Care Compare)

• Newsweek

• U.S. News & World Report

• The Leapfrog Group

• Integrated Healthcare Association

• California Center for Data Insights and Innovation

• California Health Care Quality Report Cards

• Cal Hospital Compare

Throughout the year, Cal Hospital Compare publishes multiple lists recognizing hospitals across the state for their care related to specific health care niches, such as maternity care, substance use disorder (SUD), and opioid care. Prior news releases are posted on the California Health & Human Services Agency website.