California Series, Part II-Viral Politics: What Anti-Vax Lawsuits in California Reveal About 2026
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #350
California was once seen as a national leader in science-driven public health. But a new wave of lawsuits…conspiracy-laden media…and institutional cowardice have turned the state into an unlikely proving ground for the next anti-vax era.
Viral Politics: What Anti-Vax Lawsuits in California Reveal About 2026
California once set the national standard for rational public health. It banned personal-belief vaccine exemptions in schools.
It responded decisively to measles outbreaks. And during the early pandemic…it acted more quickly and more aggressively than many other states to prevent catastrophic spread.
So how did California become a prime target for anti-vaccine extremists?
It started with the success.
The Backlash to Public Health
The same policies that saved lives made California a symbol of “medical tyranny” for far-right groups.
Online influencers seized on mask mandates…business closures…and vaccine requirements to stoke outrage — often using doctored videos…misleading statistics… or out-of-context clips from school board meetings. It was a targeted operation. Plain and simple.
But what began as a rhetorical campaign quickly became a legal one.
Over the last 18 months, a wave of lawsuits has hit California courts — most backed by national conservative legal networks.
These suits argue that doctors should not be subject to discipline for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. They target medical boards…public health departments, and even school vaccination requirements.
Lawsuits as Political Messaging
These lawsuits are rarely about winning. They’re about making noise…raising money…and keeping the outrage machine running. But some are gaining traction.
A 2023 federal judge in California blocked enforcement of a law that would have penalized doctors for spreading false COVID information — calling it a violation of free speech.
That decision is now being cited in other states seeking to roll back licensing standards.
More dangerously, California is seeing coordinated pressure campaigns on public health officials — including threats…doxxing…and social media harassment.
Some counties have seen experienced health officers resign, citing burnout and hostility. Their replacements often face political pressure to downplay outbreaks or avoid contentious mandates — even when local case rates surge.
The Network Behind the Movement
Behind the chaos are familiar names:
Children’s Health Defense, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN)
America’s Frontline Doctors, with ties to far-right media and dark-money PACs
These groups are not just organizing lawsuits — they’re hosting rallies…funding candidates…and cultivating distrust at the local level.
In one case, a California school board received a letter threatening legal action over its vaccine education materials — written by lawyers with ties to out-of-state anti-vax groups. Within a month, the district scaled back its efforts.
California as a Test Market
Why California?
Because if misinformation campaigns can succeed here — in a state with deep public health infrastructure and strong Democratic majorities — they can succeed anywhere.
This is how 2026 is being shaped now:
School board elections are becoming battlegrounds for vaccine disinformation.
Legal rulings are setting precedent for other states.
Local officials are being intimidated into silence or resignation.
The long-term danger? That the next pandemic — or even the next routine public health effort — finds the system too demoralized…discredited…or disbanded to respond.
Bottom Line
California hasn’t lost the fight. But it’s no longer safe from it, either.
The people attacking science and public health are playing the long game. Lawsuits are just their foot soldiers. California is their terrain. And the rest of the country is their prize.
It’s sick, and frankly…just writing this makes me want to throw my coffee cup through the wall.
Stay informed. Stay skeptical. And when someone says “That could never happen here,” remember: it’s already happening.
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I’ll be back soon…with even more.
Warmly,
Jack