Board advances 2026 sunset review draft; flags scope, licensing and online-practice issues

The California Board of Naturopathic Medicine spent the bulk of its Oct. 8 meeting reviewing the draft 2026 sunset review, focusing on how statutes, examination authority and online unlicensed activity affect the state licensing population and board operations.

Board staff led members through a color‑coded draft and tables that, staff said, link the licensing population to historical legislative milestones. Rebecca, a board staff member, described a new table titled “naturopathic doctor licensee population and legislative milestones” and said it showed a notable increase in license applications during the legislative push around SB 538 (scope expansion), followed by declines in later years. “It does show a big increase… in 02/1516 when the SB 538 was introduced,” she said, and staff agreed to keep the table while survey results are completed.

The board has commissioned a survey of licensees who allowed their California licenses to lapse. Rebecca said the survey “closes on the 20 second, the evening of the 20 second. So by the 20 third, I’ll have the results,” and she…