Single staircase apartment building. Image by Cebas. Numerous fire departments expressed opposition to relaxing building codes in a California Fire Marshal report, published Monday, that examines the safety of multifamily-unit buildings three or more stories tall.
Jane Kim. Image by SF Bicycle Coalition. In our ongoing Q&A series with California Insurance Commissioner candidates, this week we bring you answers from California Working Families Party Executive Director Jane Kim.
Attic of a building with wooden beams of a roof structure. Image by Bilano.OPINION – Wildfires continue to devastate communities, while Californians pay the third-highest electricity rates in the nation. While there is no single solution for every vulnerability, one simple, effective approach is to build tightly insulated homes with unvented attics – reducing wildfire risk and improving energy efficiency.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol Weekly. On Wednesday, May 14, Capitol Weekly hosted “California’s Insurance Crisis,” its first in-person gathering of the year and second conference of 2025. Held at the University of California Student and Policy Center, the event featured three panels and a keynote address from the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Discussions ranged from the overall state of the insurance industry to the impact of the Los Angeles wildfires and the path forward.
Seasonal Firefighter Ricardo Rodriguez, photo by Ellie Appleby of Capitol WeeklyAfter suffering a disappointing veto last year, supporters of an effort to transition 3000 seasonal firefighters into an all-year-position are back, hoping that this year will be different.
Artist Asher Bingham. Photo courtesy of Megan Jamerson, KCRW 89.9 FM, Los AngelesAs people struggled to cope with the immense loss from the Los Angeles fires earlier, artists stepped into offer help, from teaching free classes to victims of the fire, drawing pictures of destroyed houses or just offering much-needed entertainment to give people a break from the devastation.
Image by California Conservation CorpsOPINION – Since its inception, the CCC has been the hidden gem in California’s natural resource work, providing an astounding 81 million hours of tree planting, fish habitat improvement, back country trail construction and maintenance, rural and urban park improvements and energy conservation – on top of critical emergency response on nearly every California natural disaster.
Image via Pechanga Fire Department Facebook pageThe southern California Pechanga Band of Indians, perhaps best known for its gaming resort in Temecula, has for 30 years invested in its own fire department, building a reputation for coming to the aid of major fires and other incidents throughout not only California, but also across the country.
Image by OcusFocusOPINION – California lawmakers have an opportunity to help small businesses suffering in the wake of the devastating fire in Los Angeles to rebuild stronger and more prepared for whatever the future might hold, with straightforward investments and protections.
Image by Toa55OPINION – California’s refusal to fairly compensate prison labor is an affront to our most basic principles of human dignity – one that now has direct consequences on hundreds of incarcerated firefighters.