California
New CA mandate requires Corn tortillas to contain Folic Acid, more states considering same rule
Fifteen years after she lost her first baby to a rare and devastating birth defect, Andrea Lopez takes comfort in knowing that other Latina mothers might finally avoid the same pain.
In January, California became the first state to require food makers to add folic acid, a crucial vitamin, to corn masa flour used to make tortillas and other traditional foods widely used in her community.
A woman browns tortillas for quesadillas outside her front door in San Antonio Tlaltecahuacan, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
It’s a long-delayed move aimed at reducing Hispanic infants’ disproportionately high rates of serious conditions called neural tube defects, which claimed Lopez’s son, Gabriel Cude, when he was 10 days old.
“It’s such a small effort for such a tremendous impact,” said Lopez, 44, who lives in Bakersfield and is now a lawyer with two young daughters. “There is very little that I wouldn’t do to spare anybody this heartache.”
A similar law takes effect in Alabama in June, and legislation is pending or being considered in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Oregon. Four more states – Texas, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – have expressed “active interest” in the issue, according to the Food Fortification Initiative, an advocacy group that focuses on addressing micronutrient deficiencies.
“All women and children in the United States should have access to folic acid and have healthy babies,” said Scott Montgomery, the group’s director.
Corn masa was excluded from a national mandate
For nearly 30 years, folic acid, a key B vitamin, has been required to be added to enriched wheat and white breads, cereals and pastas in the U.S.
Decades of research show the 1998 requirement cut rates of serious defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly by about 30%, preventing about 1,300 cases a year. It is regarded as one of the top public health triumphs of the 20th century.
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But corn masa flour, a staple used in Latino diets, was left out of the original fortification requirement – and rates of conditions such as spina bifida and anencephaly in that community have remained stubbornly high.
In 2016, federal regulators allowed, but did not require, folic acid to be added to corn masa products. By 2023, only about 1 in 7 corn masa flour products and no corn tortillas contained folic acid, a review found.
Higher rates of birth defects among Hispanic moms
Nationwide, Hispanic women have the highest rates of having those defects during pregnancy. In California, the rate among Hispanic mothers is twice as high as for white or Black women, state data show.
California’s new law – and the state’s huge buying power – could help expand its adoption nationwide, said state Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who sponsored the legislation passed in 2024.
“You have to be the first oftentimes to get the ball rolling,” he said. “So, I’m glad other states have taken up that mantle.”
California’s action and pressure from advocates have already spurred changes.
Gruma Corp., the parent company of Mission Foods and Azteca Milling, has been involved in the fortification issue for nearly two decades. Azteca began selling some – but not all – varieties of Maseca, its largest brand of corn masa flour, with folic acid in 2016.
As of this year, 97% of the company’s retail sales in the U.S. include folic acid. The rest are expected to be fortified before July, Gruma said in a statement.
Mission Foods began fortification in 2024. It now adds folic acid to all of its branded and private label corn tortillas in the U.S.
Such actions by large producers have helped pave the way for smaller manufacturers to follow suit, according to a recent report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group that has pushed for fortification.
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Initially, the industry was concerned folic acid could affect flavor and the cost of changing labels, said Jim Kabbani, head of the Tortilla Industry Association. But he now expects tortilla makers will start selling fortified products on a broader scale.
“I think overall the train has left the station and it will be more and more states,” he said.
Public health experts cheer the growing momentum.
“The science is clear: Folic acid fortification works,” said Vijaya Kancherla, an Emory University epidemiology professor and director of the Center for Spina Bifida Prevention. “It’s safe. It’s proven. And it’s cost-effective.”
RFK Jr. calls corn masa fortification ‘insanity’
That view contrasts sharply with critics – including some at the highest level of government – who regard fortification of the food supply as a form of government overreach.
Late last year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized California’s new law in a post on X: “This is insanity. California is waging war against her children – targeting the poor and communities of color,” he wrote.
A spokesman for Kennedy declined to explain the comments.
Social media feeds are rife with people claiming that folic acid fortification is “toxic” or that people with a certain gene variation known as MTHFR can’t properly process the vitamin.
None of those claims is accurate, according to advocates and medical experts.
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“What’s truly insane is that our nation’s top health official is spreading false claims and frightening people into avoiding a nutrient that’s proven to prevent birth defects and save babies’ lives,” said Eva Greenthal, CSPI’s senior policy scientist.
At fortification doses, folic acid “has never been shown to harm individuals or populations,” said Dr. Jeffery Blount, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who works to prevent neural tube defects in the U.S. and globally.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes that “people with the MTHFR gene variant can process all types of folate, including folic acid.”
Even Kennedy’s new federal dietary guidelines support fortification. Documents backing the guidelines advise pregnant women to eat folate-rich foods, such as leafy green vegetables, beans and lentils. But they also acknowledge that folic acid from fortified foods or supplements is “critical” before conception and during early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects.
“Folic acid fortification of corn masa flour could help prevent” neural tube defects, the CDC website adds.
Without fortification, ‘It’s just too late’
Neural tube defects, which affect about 2,000 babies each year in the U.S., occur in the first weeks after conception, when the tube that forms the spine and brain fails to develop properly.
That’s often before many women realize they’re pregnant. More than 40% of U.S. pregnancies are unintended. In those cases, many women won’t have been preparing for pregnancy, noted Dr. Kimberly BeDell, medical director of a rehabilitation clinic that helps children with spina bifida at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, California.
“Even women’s best efforts in going to an OB right away and starting prenatal vitamins, it’s just too late,” BeDell said.
Adding folic acid to corn masa, the way it is added to other grains, is a way to ensure the nutrient reaches the wider population that needs it, she added.
MORE: Study ties fertility treatment, birth defect risk
At age 28, pregnant with her first child, Andrea Lopez didn’t know about the importance of folic acid or that the vitamin might be missing from her diet.
Then, an ultrasound mid-way through pregnancy showed that her baby had anencephaly, a fatal condition in which the skull fails to develop properly.
Lopez carried the pregnancy to term and Gabriel lived for 10 days. The pain of his loss never goes away, she said, adding that Gabriel would have been a high school freshman this year. She supports California’s law requiring folic acid fortification of corn masa and finds it “mind-boggling” that the action took so long to enforce.
“Trust me, you don’t want to go through this,” she said. “He’s the love of my life. I have two little girls that survived, but he’s my first born. He is my only son.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
California
CA state senator physically, verbally harassed at pride parade for Israel stance | The Jerusalem Post
California State Senator Scott Wiener was harassed for his stance on Gaza during the San Francisco Trans March on Friday, to the point where it was no longer safe for him to remain, Wiener said.
A group of people were so “physically and verbally aggressive that it was impossible for me to safely remain in the park,” Wiener stated, adding that this was the first time he did not participate in the march.
Wiener was surrounded by people who made statements about his “Israeli handlers, among many other inaccurate, extreme, and vile statements,” Wiener said.
“We f***ing hate you. You stopped being queer the moment you started supporting Israel,” one person yelled in a video later shared on social media.
Wiener stated that while he has no objection to anyone disagreeing, opposing, or protesting him, the “harassment, including cornering me, touching me, or trying to physically bully me out of a public event, that crosses a line.”
“In San Francisco, we’re better than that,” he added.
Mayor Daniel Lurie made a statement on X/Twitter condemning the harassment, calling the language used “targeted, hateful, and antisemitic.”
In San Francisco, we welcome disagreement and respectful dialogue around issues many of us feel passionately about – but we cannot allow harassment and threats of violence,” Lurie wrote.
The California State Senate Democratic Caucus also released a statement on X, condemning the hate Wiener received.
“The harassment and violence shown from yesterday’s march in San Francisco towards Senator Scott Wiener is unacceptable and must be called out,” the statement read.
The caucus also pointed to Wiener’s work on legislation “advancing the rights and protections for Transgender, Gender Expansive and Intersex people.”
“The CA Senate Democratic Caucus and CA LGBTQ Caucus jointly denounce the verbal harassment and attacks he experienced,” the statement said.
California
At least 117 dead dogs found in search at California animal rescue accused of abuse, officials said
California authorities unearthed at least 117 dogs in “various states of decomposition” on Friday, many of which appeared to have been killed by gunshot, as part of an ongoing investigation into an animal rescue organization.
The bodies were discovered during a search of Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Officials had been granted a warrant that included excavation of the property for evidence that dogs had been buried in “mass graves.”
The 117 canine remains were those found mostly intact at two sites, the sheriff’s office said. Nearly two dozen skulls, “hundreds” of bones, and 600 dog collars were also recovered on the property.
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal thanked the law enforcement teams and forensic veterinarians who assisted in the recovery. In a statement, he noted that the investigation is “just getting started.”
“The determination all of these professionals showed while working through this horrific scene is something we will not forget,” Honsal said.
NBC News was not able to reach Shannon Miranda, the founder of Miranda’s Rescue, by phone on Sunday. She did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release last week that it had been contacted in April regarding allegations of fraud, animal abuse and animal cruelty at the rescue, and that the case had been assigned to the Major Crimes Division.
An initial search warrant was executed on May 1, at which time officials seized evidence related to the investigation. Investigators also determined that a “significant number” of animals surrendered to the rescue had not been accounted for.
A second search warrant, executed Thursday, led to the recovery of the canine remains.
Forensic veterinarians were able to examine 71 of the bodies on-site Thursday but did not have time to reach the remaining 46. A preliminary examination — including X-rays of the remains — found that “many of those animals showed evidence of bullet fragments.”
Investigators are working to identify dogs that were microchipped.
Other remains were found “in advanced stages of decomposition” and were deemed too severely deteriorated to be removed from their burial site, the sheriff’s office said.
This investigation is expected to be lengthy, the sheriff’s office cautioned in a statement to the public.
“The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office understands the public’s desire for accountability and justice,” it said. “However, it is our responsibility to conduct a complete, impartial, and legally sound investigation while ensuring that the constitutional and legal rights of everyone involved are protected throughout the process.”
No charges were announced.
Miranda was not available for comment, but posted a statement on June 18 addressing “recent media coverage and online commentary,” on the rescue’s website. The statement described two incidents that had “drawn particular attention” both involving animals that were killed at the facility.
The first involved a dog that killed another animal and attacked a third; the second involved a dog that lunged at a stroller carrying a baby, according to the statement.
“These were not decisions made lightly and were based on my responsibility to protect both the public and the animals in our care,” Miranda wrote.
The statement also described Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill shelter, meaning animals are not euthanized simply to free up space, but acknowledged euthanasia is sometimes necessary.
“Whenever euthanasia has been necessary, I have notified local authorities in advance, even when told that reporting is not required,” Miranda wrote. “I believe it is important to maintain a clear record of these difficult decisions.”
Long Beach city officials have confirmed California’s first human case of West Nile virus in 2026.
In a news release shared Friday, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services said that the person was hospitalized with “neuroinvasive illness” and has since been recovering at home.
“While there have been WNV positive mosquito detections in California, including in Long Beach, this is the first symptomatic case reported in California for the 2026 season,” the release said.
Health officials said that West Nile virus typically spreads through the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. While most people who get infected with WNV have no symptoms, one in 150 may develop more serious illnesses like brain inflammation, paralysis or death. Typical symptoms include fever, rash, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting.
They advised anyone exhibiting such symptoms to seek immediate medical care.
“The risk of WNV and other mosquito-borne diseases increases during hot weather, typically from June to October,” officials said. “People who are over 55 years old or have chronic health conditions are at higher risk for severe illness.”
Acting Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada urged residents to take several precautions to prevent infection, including:
- using insect repellent to prevent mosquito bites
- wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if spending time outdoors during dawn or dusk
- install or repair window screens
- remove standing water around their homes
- report increased mosquito activity so health officials can take action
People seeking further information or who wish to know more about how to protect themselves from mosquito bites was asked to contact the city’s mosquito hotline at 562-570-4132.
Health officials said the risk of West Nile virus and other mosquito-
borne diseases increases during hot weather, typically from June to October.
WNV spreads through the bite of an infected Culex mosquito.
Symptoms of may include fever, body aches, rash, nausea, vomiting and
headaches. Most people infected have no symptoms; approximately one in 150 may
develop more serious disease, such as brain inflammation, paralysis or death.
Those who are over 55 years old or have chronic health conditions are
at higher risk for severe illness. People with these symptoms should seek
immediate medical care.
There is no vaccine or treatment for West Nile virus.
Acting City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada urged residents to take the
following precautions:
— Dump and drain standing water around your home.
— Prevent mosquito bites by applying insect repellent with EPA-
registered active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or lemon
eucalyptus before going outside.
— Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if spending time outside
during dawn and dusk.
— Install or repair door and window screens.
Additional information about mosquito prevention and West Nile virus
is available at longbeach.gov/mosquitoes.
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