An illustration of the electorate. (Image: M-SUR, via Shutterstock) With Election Day less than two weeks away, Californians remain divided on a ballot measure that would change how commercial property is taxed. On another closely watched ballot measure, reinstating affirmative action in the public sector has gained slightly since September, but still has less than majority support.
Two children receiving instruction via the internet. (Photo: adriaticfoto, via Shutterstock)The resurgence of COVID-19 over the summer and the predicted fall increase in cases means that many districts will continue some form of distance learning for months to come. Our findings show that distance learning has widened gaps for children of color, children in low-income families, and children of less-educated parents. More specifically, we find:
As the November election approaches, longtime labor activist Caitlin Vega is focused on what she sees as an existential battle: the effort to defeat Proposition 22 – the initiative that would classify App-based drivers as independent contractors and remove labor protections for thousands of workers.
A man shoplifts a pair of jeans at a clothing store. (Photo: Monstar Studio, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Shoplifting and stealing are becoming a bigger problem in California, which is why small businesses are showing interest in two statewide ballot measures that deal with crime and justice. Proposition 20 seeks to strengthen consequences for serial theft, while Proposition 25 is a referendum on the Legislature’s no cash bail law.
An illustration of the 2020 census. (Image: Maria Dryfout, via Shutterstock)California launched an aggressive push through Thursday night to bolster its tally, immediately following a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking the count. “We’re pulling out all the stops,” said Ditas Katague, director of California Complete Count, the state’s census office.
Robert Klein, left, and CIRM board member Jeff Sheey, right. At center is Board Vice Chair Art Torres. (Photo: California Stem Cell Report)The two men once worked together over the last 16 years to spend $3 billion in state funds on stem cell research in California. This week, however, they were very publicly on opposite sides of a ballot initiative to spend $5.5 billion more. The initiative is Proposition 14, which would require the state to borrow the additional billions.
Five years ago this week, Shawnda Westly found herself in a hospital emergency room with “the worst headache of [her] life.” The doctor who examined her concluded that she was experiencing a migraine, prescribed some painkillers and sent her home.
Within 48 hours, she suffered a stroke that threatened to derail her life. Westly faced a harrowing and uncertain recovery, with the very real prospect that she that might never be able to live on her own again. She was just 45 years old.
An aerial view of a neighborhood in Fremont, California. (Photo: Sundry Photography, via Shutterstock)Once again, Californians are being asked to decide on the merits of a ballot measure that roiled the political scene when many of them were in grammar school — or not even born yet. The ballot measure under challenge is Proposition 13, a constitutional amendment written by anti-tax crusader Howard Jarvis and approved nearly 2-to-1 by voters in 1978.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently signed into law major health care-related approved by lawmakers. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)When Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom concluded the chaotic legislative year Wednesday — his deadline to sign or veto bills — what emerged wasn’t the sweeping platform he and state lawmakers had outlined at the beginning of the year. But the dozens of health care measures they approved included first-in-the-nation policies to require more comprehensive coverage of mental health and addiction, and thrusting the state into the generic drug-making business.
Longtime Sacramento journalist Joe Barr is Capital Public Radio’s Director of Content. While most news organizations have seen a stark decline in staffing over the past decade, Barr has led a major expansion in the station’s news department. Joe joined us by phone to chat about CapRadio’s approach to their news and music stations, the struggles of producing a torrent of election year news programming during a pandemic, and what’s next for CapRadio.