A CVI Journalist Is One of 14 USC California Health Equity Fellows; PS Police Chief Andy Mills Prepares to Depart; and More!

Indy Digest: March 19, 2026

I have a bit of Independent-related good news to report!

Independent contributor Melissa Daniels (who writes, among other things, our semi-regular Civic Solutions pieces) is one of 14 journalists selected this year for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s annual California Health Equity Fellowship!

From the press release:

The USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism is pleased to announce the selection of 14 talented journalists who will participate in its annual California Health Equity Fellowship, reporting on important health issues across the Golden State.

This year’s Fellowship class is a diverse group of California print, digital and broadcast journalists who work for a range of media outlets, including City Pride Magazine, Coachella Valley Independent, Daylight San Diego, EdSource, KPFA, Los Angeles Public Press, Los Angeles Times, Open Vallejo, Shasta Scout, Southern California News Group, The Mercury News/Bay Area News Group, The Sacramento Observer and The Tribune.

In collaboration with the Center for Health Journalism, the 2026 California Health Equity Fellows will report in-depth projects on a range of health and social welfare topics important to Californians, such as health care access in rural communities, racial disparities in maternal health, and environmental health threats from invisible pollutants. Other stories will focus on homelessness among seniors, the unmet needs of special education students, and health care for incarcerated individuals.

The program includes a multi-day learning institute at the USC Annenberg School in Los Angeles, five months of expert mentoring, and more than $50,000 in reporting grants to support the ambitious reporting projects. Fellows also have the opportunity to receive five months of community engagement mentoring and engagement grants. 

I am so happy for Melissa—and I can’t wait to see the reporting she’s going to be able to do for the Independent as a California Health Equity Fellow!

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Andy Mills, the popular Palm Springs police chief, announced on Facebook that it is time to find his “next mission.” Mills writes: “I am a crime fighter. As a younger cop, it was operational, and now it’s strategic. Part of my strategy has been to help develop the next generation of crime fighters. I’ve accomplished that goal. They are ready. They are compassionate and strong leaders who understand what it takes to lead Palm Springs forward. They are not me (or Cathy), and you cannot expect them to be. In many ways, they are better. They are the best the profession has to offer. They have my full confidence, and I have told the city manager and council that. … To prepare for the future, Cathy and I decided to put our house on the market. It goes live on Monday. I am not resigning or retiring; rather, I am preparing the department for the immediate next steps. The support and love we’ve gotten universally from PSPD and Palm Springs is nothing short of spectacular. We’ve felt your love and support at every step as we’ve passionately championed you and this incredible community.”

• Los Angeles Times columnist (and friend of the Independent) Gustavo Arellano, like many of us, is grappling with the horrible revelations about Cesar Chavez that have come out this week. (If you missed that news, here it is.) Gustavo beautifully wrote about the situation, and his feelings about it. A snippet: “Chavez seemed like the right man at the right moment as Mexican Americans rose up like never before to battle discrimination and segregation. Now, Latinos and others who admired Chavez have to grapple with his moral failings of the worst possible magnitude at the worst possible time: when there’s an administration doing everything possible to crush Latinos and we’re looking for people to look up to like never before. He remains one of the few Latino civil rights leaders known nationwide—and Chavez is nowhere near as known as acolytes make him out to be. Some people will argue that it’s unfair he will likely get wiped away from the public sphere while other predatory men from the past and present largely maintain their riches and reputations. But that’s looking at the abuse revelations the wrong way. For now, I will follow what those most directly affected by Chavez’s actions are telling us to do.”

• Tangentially related is this headline, from our partners at Calmatters: “Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to cut their pay.” Details: “A Trump administration attorney conceded ‘there aren’t enough Americans to take these jobs’ at a federal court hearing in Fresno this week as she defended a policy that would cut pay to immigrant laborers. The lawsuit, filed by the United Farm Workers in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California, challenges a federal wage rule tied to the H-2A agriculture visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire temporary workers from abroad, mostly from Mexico, for agricultural jobs not filled by domestic workers. At issue is whether that new rule lowers wages in a way that could ripple through the broader workforce and affect U.S. workers by driving down their pay. Federal law requires H-2A wages not undercut domestic pay. The case highlights the ag industry’s dependence on immigrant labor at a time when the Trump administration is using military-style tactics to crack down on immigration, while at the same time trying to make it cheaper for growers and farmers to hire temporary foreign workers.”

• Because of the war/conflict/whatever in the Middle East, oil prices are way up. CNBC says they could go up a lot more: “The extreme spike in oil prices seen in local markets in the Middle East could give investors a glimpse into to where U.S. and Europe prices are headed if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opened soon. Dubai crude oil prices surpassed $166 a barrel to a new record high on Thursday, according to market data provider Platts. Dated Brent and West Texas intermediate Cushing’s are trading around the $100 mark after historic runs higher. The local markets for oil are often overlooked, but are now seen as a possible precursor of what could be ahead if the conflict doesn’t end soon. ‘If the Strait does not reopen, this divergence is unlikely to persist,’ (Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s head of commodities research) said in a note to clients this week. ‘Brent and WTI will ultimately reprice higher as Atlantic basin inventories are drawn down and the global market is forced to clear at a materially tighter supply level.'”

• Wired Magazine reports on a new hacking risk for iPhone users: “Researchers at Google and cybersecurity firms iVerify and Lookout on Wednesday jointly revealed the discovery of a sophisticated iPhone hacking technique known as DarkSword that they’ve seen in use on infected websites, capable of instantly and silently hacking iOS devices that visit those sites. While the technique doesn’t affect the latest, updated versions of iOS, it does work against iOS devices running versions of Apple’s previous operating system release, iOS 18, which as of last month still accounted for close to a quarter of iPhones, according to Apple’s own count. ‘A vast number of iOS users could have all of their personal data stolen simply for visiting a popular website,’ says Rocky Cole, iVerify’s cofounder and CEO. ‘Hundreds of millions of people who are still using older Apple devices or older operating system versions remain vulnerable.’” The takeaway: Make sure your iPhone OS has been updated!

• Today’s recall news involves … children’s ibuprofen! Newsweek says: “U.S. health officials are urging parents and caregivers to check medicine cabinets after a nationwide recall was issued for 4‑fluid‑ounce bottles of Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension, USP, a liquid product labeled 100 milligrams per 5 milliliters. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the recall follows consumer complaints describing the presence of a foreign substance in the medication, including reports of a gel-like mass and black particles. Strides Pharma Inc. is recalling 89,592 bottles that were distributed nationwide, according to reporting that cited the FDA’s recall information.”

• And finally … the San Francisco Chronicle has done a very cool thing: It’s created a real-time map of wildflower-bloom locations across the state. Their explanation: “To track wildflower sightings across California, the Chronicle created a map using observations logged over the past seven days on iNaturalist, a social network where users record sightings of plants, animals and fungi. The map updates daily at noon and provides an updated log of where nature lovers identified lupines, fiddlenecks and more over the past week. The map contains many, but not all, of the wildflower species that can be found in the state. You can zoom in to see more wildflower sightings and click on individual observations for additional details.”

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