KAZU News

Free menstrual products for farmworkers proposed, safety net programs at risk

KAZU | By Elena Neale-Sacks

Published March 26, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

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The entrance to a hospital, with the words "Salinas Valley Health." A person wearing all black walks away from the entrance toward a parking lot and another, in blue scrubs, leaves the building. — Local hospitals, like Salinas Valley Health, are bracing for Medicaid cuts under H.R. 1, the federal spending and tax cut law passed in 2025.

In today's newscast, a new bill from state Republican lawmakers would make menstrual products free for farmworkers. And, California counties are asking the state for billions of dollars to protect safety net programs.

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Elena Neale-Sacks

Elena is an Emmy award-winning researcher, reporter, and producer. At KAZU, they cover agriculture, housing and homelessness, and the aftermath of the January 2025 lithium battery fire in Moss Landing. Their reporting and research has been featured on NPR, KQED, Netflix, Reveal, CalMatters, and more. Elena is an alum of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and UC Santa Cruz. You can reach them at elena@kazu.org.

See stories by Elena Neale-Sacks