Today, a Sacramento County judge will decide how many patient care workers can participate in strikes against the University of California's five medical centers.

Tomorrow, expect to see picketers outside UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange.

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An ex-doctor and minister who hawked a miracle cancer cure via a program on the Costa Mesa-based Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison because her "brown sludge'' was actually made of suntan lotion and beef flavoring. Besides TBN, Christine Daniel, 58, of Santa Clarita, also sold the phony cure through her "wellness center" with ever-changing names in Mission Hills. In addition to the prison stretch, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin, who remanded Daniel into custody following the four-hour hearing in Los Angeles, ordered her to forfeit nearly $1.2 million. When the then-licensed physician and ordained Pentecostal minister was arrested in LA in October 2009, she'd by then taken $1.1 million from 55 families over three years for her herbal "C-Extract." At least six patients died over a six-month period.

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A former Kaiser nurse is complaining in Orange County Superior Court that she was tasked with duties beyond her experience and training, and that when she complained and asked for more training, she was disciplined and fired. Amali Dissanayake, who is represented by Joel Baruch and Nikki Fermin of Irvine, is suing for wrongful termination.

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The parents of a teen who died of botulism claim in Orange County Superior Court it was caused by Allergan of Irvine illegally pushing off-label uses of Botox.

Doctors can prescribe drugs for uses beyond what is specified on warning labels, but drug companies cannot by law.

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You can almost see the nose of Robert Braithwaite, the CEO of Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, growing. After Hoag's board finalized a partnership with Catholic health group St. Joseph Health System, Braithwaite revealed via a letter to his doctors that they will no longer provide elective abortions, swearing the decision was made on medical and not religious grounds.

Uh, riiiiiiight ...

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An Anaheim physician was recently convicted in federal court for his role in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Dr. Sri J. Wijegunaratne, 58, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, another count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six substantive counts of health care fraud.

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Thirteen thousand patient care technical workers from the University of California's $6.9 billion medical system, which includes UC Irvine and UCI Medical Center in Orange, will start taking strike votes April 30.

After 10 months of negotiations and more than three months of post-impasse proceedings, the vote has been authorized for April 30-May 2, according to local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

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Max Page, the 8-year-old actor who in 2011 starred as "Little Vader" for Volkswagen in one of the most memorable Super Bowl ads ever, is using the force for good.

He's scheduled to appear at a Saturday gala where he'll donate some money he's made from commercials to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center of Laguna Hills, where he was born with a congenital heart defect.

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The state's nursing board has revoked the license of a Mission Viejo woman who admitted stealing pain medications from Hoag Hospital patients. Atalie Mitchell's undoing began on April 4, 2009, when a visitor to the Newport Beach hospital found a bloody needle cap in a women's restroom. Later, a nursing assistant and registered nurse separately discovered syringes on opposite sides of a chair Mitchell had been sitting in at Hoag. Later still, she tested positive for a painkiller despite having gone through rehab.

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Add another to the body count for Dr. Van Vu of California Pain Center in Fountain Valley.

Already being investigated by the Medical Board of California for the deaths of 16 patients he prescribed powerful medications to, there is now reportedly a 17th deceased patient.

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