Covering the Capitol, with Lia Russell of the Sacramento Bee

Will CA be next to offer Ink of Hope for trafficking victims?

Image by romkaz.

by JASLEEN KAUR posted 04.02.2026

If a bill by Assemblymember Diane Dixon becomes law, tattoo artists would join a long list of professionals required to be trained in spotting signs of human trafficking, including first responders, healthcare workers, educators, hospitality staff, transportation workers, social workers and more.

California’s higher education Master Plan in flux?

Image by ismagilov.

by AIDAN WYROUGH posted 04.01.2026

Faced with growing concerns that California’s higher education system is outdated and unresponsive to the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, lawmakers are considering more structural changes to the state Master Plan’s vision of university and college education.

Ending Medi-Cal coverage of GLP-1s is short-sighted thinking

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by ANTHONY DIGIORGIO posted 04.03.2026

OPINION – Modern GLP-1 medicines are evidence-based therapies that help patients achieve meaningful, sustained weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and orthopedic complications. For many patients, these medications can change the course of their health and prevent the very surgeries I perform.

CIRM gets first approval of a one-and-done gene therapy

The Langenhop family. Photo courtesy of the Langenhop family and the CIRM.

by DAVID JENSEN posted 03.31.2026

After 21 years of “prospecting,” the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has fetched up its first “nugget” – federal approval of a one-and-done gene therapy for a life-threatening disease.

Reading on the Assembly floor

The California Assembly in session. Photo by AP

by CHRIS MICHELI posted 04.02.2026

On occasion, if you listen to the proceedings on the Floor of the California State Assembly, you may hear either a legislator seeking “permission to read on the Floor,” or you might hear a legislator raise a point of order that a colleague is reading on the Floor. What is the basis for either of these two statements?