News

CA120: A deep dive into voter registration

A sign designating a polling place during the 2016 election in Ventura County. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)

ANALYSIS: Last week the Sacramento Bee ran a story of voter registration and how the type of registration, and timing of it, can provide a hint as to whether a voter will participate in an upcoming election. And, if a voter does turn out, whether it will be a one-time exercise, or whether that voter will be a more permanent voter.

News

Stem cell agency officially files $5.5 billion ballot measure

Stem cells for treating cancer in microtubes. (Image: Science Photo, via Shutterstock)

Backers of the financially stressed California stem cell agency yesterday filed their proposed ballot measure to refinance the agency with $5.5 billion if voters approve it in November 2020. The complex, 30-page initiative  would also restructure a number of aspects of the agency and provide for financial assistance for patients and their families who might be involved in clinical trials.

News

Workers’ painful process of clawing back stolen wages

Illustration by Quentin Lueninghoener, via FairWarning

From FairWarning: In February, when California labor officials announced the biggest wage theft case against a private company in state history, they made sure to include a warning for all bosses:“Stealing earned wages from workers’ pockets is illegal in California and this case shows that employers who steal from their workers will end up paying for it in the end,” said Labor Secretary Julie Su in a press release announcing nearly $12 million in citations against RDV Construction, Inc. RDV has appealed the penalties.

News

For California schools, 2020 could prove historic

Two students at a crossing in the Mission Beach area of San Diego. (Photo: Conchi Martinez, via Shutterstock)

California public schools will be getting a big infusion of cash — a very, very big infusion —  if voters approve an unprecedented trifecta of  multibillion-dollar measures aimed at next year’s statewide ballots. First, there’s a $15 billion plan, financed by bond borrowing, for construction projects for K-12 and higher education. Gov. Newsom  signed the bill and placed it on the March ballot.

News

Environmental bill’s veto sparked surprise

The Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella, Calif. (Photo: Hank Shiffman)

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of a major environmental protection bill angered and surprised environmentalists – and left some wondering what happens next. The measure, SB 1 authored by Senate Leader Toni Atkins and backed by an array of environmental groups, was aimed at safeguarding California’s environmental policies against the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back water, air quality and other standards in California.

News

Youths assume activist role in climate change fight

Climate change demonstrators rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Sept. 20. (Photo: Associated Press/Rich Pedroncelli)

Climate change activism in California is gaining a newer, more youthful face. In Sacramento, a crowd of more than 1,000 people, including teenagers and pre-teens, rallied recently at the state Capitol to urge lawmakers to sign onto a National Climate Emergency Declaration, which seeks to halt new fossil fuel infrastructure.

News

Dry autumn winds bring fire threat — again

A man watches the 2018 Woolsey fire in Los Angeles. (Photo: BrittanyNY, via Shutterstock)

California’s relatively mellow start to the 2019 fire season may be the calm before the firestorm, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CAL FIRE agrees with the NIFC that when fall’s arid winds kick in — as they have in the last few days, prompting red flag alerts — California could experience another period of record wild fires.

News

Warren takes California lead in new CA120 tracking poll

A political rally in Santa Monica in 2016. (Photo: Joseph Sohm

The latest monthly tracking poll for the March 2020 Democratic primary election in California shows Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren increasing her share of the vote, for the first time pushing former Vice President Joe Biden down to third place among likely voters.

News

Judge blocks tax disclosure bill aimed at Trump

People at a 2017 Laguna Beach rally demanding to see Trump's tax returns. (Photo: Steve Bruckmann

A federal judge tentatively blocked a new California law requiring presidential and gubernatorial contenders in California’s primary elections to release five years of tax returns — a law that was aimed squarely at President Donald Trump.U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. said he will issue a final ruling by Oct. 1. In issuing a temporary injunction, England cited constitutional grounds for his decision, saying disclosure isn’t a constitutional requirement to seek office.

News

Speculation still swirls over CTA chief’s firing

Joe Nuñez , former executive director of the California Teachers Association. (Image: Screen capture from CTA video)

California’s education and political worlds are abuzz with speculation about three recent developments, little of which has to do with schools. What led to the abrupt firing of Joe Nuñez as executive director of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association, one of the biggest and most powerful labor groups in California?

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