Workers at an agricultural plant in Newell sort through material on a picking line. (Photo: My Photo Buddy, via Shutterstock)Tired of losing billions to worker lawsuits, California business leaders are betting millions that voters will eliminate the lightning rod Private Attorney General Act and give enforcement authority to a historically underfunded state agency.
Dismantling the apse on the back of the State Capitol. 1949In our discussion with lobbyist and author Chris Micheli last month we touched on the status of the Capitol Annex Project, the billion-dollar-plus update to the historic state capitol that is currently underway. While the legislature and Governor have already moved, and construction has begun, lawsuits are challenging the legality of the effort and could
Parched San Louis Reservoir along the Pacheco Pass,, at about 55 percent of capacity, as of this month. (Photo: Robert Enriquez, via Shutterstock)In California, the climate crisis is worsening drought conditions. As a result, the federal Bureau of Reclamation has cut 2022 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project contractors. “We began the 2022 water year with low CVP reservoir storage and some weather whiplash, starting with a record day of Sacramento rainfall in October and snow-packed December storms to a very dry January and February, which are on pace to be the driest on record,” said Regional Director Ernest Conan.
The sports bar at the Sunset Station Casino in Las Vegas. (Photo: Kit Leong, via Shutterstock)OPINION: This year, California voters could be asked to decide among multiple options for legalizing sports wagering. As tribal leaders who have honored decades of trust created with California voters, it’s important for voters to understand what’s at stake.
A close-up of a retro microphone, a type sometimes used at public events. (Photo: vectorfusionart, via Shutterstock)It isn’t something that politicians and other public figures worry about very much, although perhaps they should. It’s embarrassing, of course, but most of all, it’s revealing. We’re talking about the dreaded ‘hot mic’ menace.
Students pass through Sather Gate, which leads from Sproul Plaza to the center of the UC Berkeley. (Photo: David A Litman, via Shutterstock)California’s premier environmental protection law was at the core of a fierce dispute between UC Berkeley and its surrounding neighborhoods — and the neighborhoods won. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court decided in their favor, saying that the university’s plan to build more student housing ran afoul of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, which requires projects to undergo extensive environmental and legal review before proceeding.
A view of San Quentin State Prison in Marin County with Mt. Tamalpais in the background. (Photo: Ameer Muscard-Afcari, via Shutterstock)Scores of California’s condemned prison inmates are being removed from their cells on San Quentin’s death row and sent to eight high-security lockups in the state’s sprawling penal system. The transfers follow an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom halting executions in California. The governor also has vowed to remodel San Quentin’s death row, where executions have been conducted for generations.
The state Capitol in Sacramento, surrounded by Capitol Park. (Photo: Merge Digital Media LLC, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The Legislature should enact legislation to require the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) to fully comply with the current California Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
While the FPPC takes the position that it is only bound by the version of the APA that was in existing in 1974 (when the FPPC was created by the voters in their adoption of Proposition 9 that also enacted the Political Reform Act), we believe the FPPC should be bound by the current version of the APA.
A volunteer teacher reads to a group of young children. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)Decades of underinvestment in schools, culture battles over bilingual education, and dizzying levels of income inequality have pushed California to the bottom of the pile, making it the least literate state in the nation. Nearly 1 in 4 people over the age of 15 lack the skills to decipher the words in this sentence. Only 77 percent of adults are considered mid to highly literate, according to the nonpartisan data crunchers at World Population Review.
Personnel at the Sacramento Native American Health Center. (Photo: SNAHC)OPINION: Amid the ongoing health crisis, California’s Medi-Cal Rx transition threatens the stability of over 1,300 community health centers that serve more than 7.2 million people throughout the state. In a noble attempt to discount rising prescription drug prices, a huge gap in savings is created for community health centers. Ironically, the transition disproportionately impacts the very same people it aims to help: California’s diverse population.