The DMV office in Los Gatos. (Photo: stellamc, via Shutterstock)Digging into it, we can see that California has been experiencing at least one area with a lull in registration. Looking at the voter file and codes from the secretary of state on registration methods, we can see hundreds of thousands fewer DMV registrations than would be expected since the lock down began.
An array of disposable e-cigarettes on display. (Photo: NguyeningMedia, via Shutterstock)In recent months, mystery has surrounded the ownership of a controversial e-cigarette company that has reaped millions of dollars in sales of flavored, kid-friendly nicotine products by exploiting a loophole in federal regulations.
A man watches the 2018 Woolsey fire in Los Angeles. (Photo: BrittanyNY, via Shutterstock)Strapped California, facing an unprecedented budget crisis as it battles COVID-19, is setting aside hundreds of millions of dollars to confront wildfires. Already, more than 1,300 fires — mostly small — have been reported as the hottest, driest months of the year approach.
A resident leads horses to safety in Paradise during the 2018 Camp Fire. (Photo: Dylan Mittag, via Shutterstock)Everyone with any knowledge of the subject agrees: California is on the brink of a potentially disastrous fire season. And there is concern that the problem is not going to be solved soon. “Our best efforts may still be inadequate,” said Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Two customers order lunch at an artisan bakery in Oakdale. (Photo: James Kirkikis, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The start of the new year also brings a new governor and a new Legislature, which provides opportunity for Californians to set new goals and expectations of our elected leaders in Sacramento. Small business owners, especially, have much at stake in the halls of the state Capitol, with many new opportunities and challenges ahead in 2019.
San Francisco Marriott hotel employees picketing in October in support of better wages, benefits. (Photo: 1000Photography, via Shutterstock)California labor confronted major challenges last year but responded with frenetic organizing and a newfound aggressiveness—momentum unions hope to maintain in 2019. As 2018 opened, California had 2.49 million union members, roughly 15.5 percent of the state’s official working population
Hundreds of people advocating for improved health care rally outside San Francisco City Hall, 2017. (Photo: Kim Wilson, via Shutterstock)As a physician in California, I am so grateful to see preserving people’s access to health care at the top of our state’s New Year’s resolution list. Although a federal judge in Texas has ruled the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional (in a state where five million people could be directly affected, no
Grapes ready to be harvested in a Wine Country vineyard. (Photo: Lukasz Szwaj, via Shutterstock)Wine from California vintners will now get equal treatment to sit atop Canadian store shelves under the terms of the recently renegotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
A child has her ear inspected by a doctor using an otoscope. (Photo: Andrew_Popov)Health insurance coverage for 1.3 million California children and pregnant women is at risk because of Congress’ delay in extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program. While the House recently approved a bill to extend the program for five years, the bill still needs approval by the Senate and a fight is expected about how to pay for the extension.
An aerial view of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. (Photo: Jeffrey T. Kreulen)Gov. Jerry Brown’s massive Delta tunnels project is moving forward through a series of state and federal environmental reviews. But it still faces an array of major hurdles including public opposition, financing and approvals by state water contractors. The $15 billion project, known as California Water Fix, is on track to finish the environmental reviews by the end of the year.