News

Cal Channel to end broadcasting after three decades

Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his state budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Image: Frame capture from Cal Channel broadcast.)

The California Channel, a decades-old public broadcaster that has historically provided on-demand video access to the Legislature, the state Supreme Court and the Capitol community, will cease operations in October. Supported by the California Cable and Telecommunications Association since 1993, it’s one of the few services that offer one-on-one interviews with all candidates for the state’s elected offices.

News

Sea level rise: California’s new reality

Pacific Ocean waves lap against beach front properties in Malibu. (Photo: Elliott Cowand Jr., via Shutterstock)

While wildfires have gotten much of the attention in California as consequences of climate change, it’s really rising sea levels that will likely wreak the most damage. With more than 25 million people living near the coast, some $150 billion worth of property is at risk.

News

Dems’ new party leader Rusty Hicks faces challenges

Rusty Hicks, new chair of the California Democratic Party, at the party's June convention in San Francisco. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press)

California’s Democratic Party is enjoying unprecedented prosperity, with command of the Legislature, all statewide offices, most of the state’s congressional delegation and a heavy registration advantage. And the party’s new leader wants to spread the wealth. “California will play an ever more important role nationally because of our early primary,” said newly elected Chairman Rusty Hicks.

Opinion

Where are the promised fixes to the new privacy law?

An illustration of online data sharing. (Image: Lightspring, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: One year ago, the California Legislature passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law. Even at passage, the legislative leadership recognized its flaws – what some observers called an “unmitigated disaster in the making” – and committed to addressing its flaws in the year before it took effect in January of 2020.

News

California’s fight over fuel economy standards

Rush-hour traffic in downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: TierneyMJ, via Shutterstock)

Top law enforcement officials in California and New York are leading 10 other states in an attempt to retain tougher penalties for automakers that violate fuel economy standards. They filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the federal government’s decision to block a scheduled increase in the penalties for those who fail to meet fuel economy standards.

Opinion

Wanted: A comprehensive data system for education

Illustration depicting the examination of complex data. (Image: alphaspirit, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: It is easy to point to recent public investments that demonstrate the state’s commitment to improving educational and economic opportunity for Californians. But attempt to assess the outcomes of those efforts, and you will come up woefully short.

News

Newsom boosts pension-cost relief for schools

Near the entrance to the CalSTRS building in West Sacramento. (Photo: ZiKG, via Shutterstock)

School districts would get more pension cost relief under a revised state budget proposed last week by Gov. Newsom. The governor’s $700 million plan to lower scheool pension costs during the last two years of a seven-year CalSTRS rate increase would get an additional $150 million, if approved by the Legislature.

Opinion

Grocery, beverage taxes hurt working families

An assortment of soft-drink brands at a Cypress, Calif., market. (Photo: David Tonelson, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: While health and wellness must be a top priority for communities across the US, taxing the poor is not the way to do it. Taxes such as these place a considerably larger share of the economic burden on working families, poor communities and small business owners.

Opinion

E-receipt mandate cold prove costly — and harmful

A man pays digitally at a restaurant using a smart phone. (Photo: Brain2Hands, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The demand for clean, cost-effective alternative fuel vehicles, trucks and buses continues to rise. The installation of thousands of alternative fuel pumps and charging stations up and down the state, supported by state grants and dedicated funding, has helped to make this possible. However, a bill making its way through the State Legislature threatens to unravel these advancements and slow the adoption of clean vehicle fleets.

Opinion

Nursing shortage grows — and state isn’t helping any

Nurses in the corridor of a busy hospital. (Photo: SpotMatik Ltd, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: There’s a severe shortage of registered nurses in California, and it’s getting worse. Experts predict the state could be short nearly 200,000 nurses by 2030, with rural areas among the most vulnerable to the deficit.

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