California, like much of the nation, is not producing enough nurses working at bedsides to meet the needs of an aging and diverse population, fueling a workforce crunch that risks endangering quality patient care. Nearly 60% of California counties, stretching between the borders with Mexico and Oregon, face a nursing shortage, according to state data. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have tried to bolster the state’s health care workforce, in part by implementing recommendations from the California Future Health Workforce Commission, a 24-member panel of state, labor, academic, and industry representatives.

Still, California’s shortage of registered nurses is expected to grow from 3.7% in 2024 to 16.7% by 2033, or more than 61,000 nurses, due to inadequate recruitment, training, and retention, according to Kathryn Phillips, associate director of the Improving Access team at the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization specializing in health care research and education. Researchers say the gap between nursing supply and demand is exacerbated by inadequate career pathways and high turnover in a labor-intensive industry, but nurses and their unions argue the problem is driven primarily by a management-induced staffing crisis and poor working conditions. “The morale is so bad right now,” Sanchez said. “We’re trying to fight the good fight but we’re constantly holding people in the emergency room who should be admitted due to the hospital being at max capacity.”

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