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Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a pep talk to Californians tired of COVID and worried about crime, homelessness and inflation. In his State of the State address, he pledged some relief from high gas prices, but mostly promoted the "California Way" of finding new solutions to big problems.
Gavin Newsom took office promising to tackle poverty. His administration has made progress on a number of fronts, but advocates say the state needs to do more to reduce inequality.
California has almost $20 billion of debt from the surge in unemployment claims during the pandemic, more than any other state. One reason is California’s higher unemployment rate; another is that employer taxes haven’t kept up with increasing benefits. Now, employers will see an automatic tax increase to start paying off the debt, and Newsom has proposed spending $3 billion in state funds to reduce the debt.
Volunteers fanned out across the state for the first statewide count of California’s homeless population since 2020. The number is expected to be higher, raising more questions about the impact of the state’s increased spending.
Newsom unveiled a "SMARTER" preparedness plan, including stockpiling masks and tests. But has the state learned lessons from its erratic handling of the pandemic?
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a leading environmental lawmaker, has a bill to create a state fund to support and retrain oil industry workers as California strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and end fossil fuel production in the state. But the ‘just transition’ bill is pitting unions against unions.
A new poll finds that crime and homelessness are key issues for California voters and that Gov. Newsom’s approval rating has dropped.
A bill would establish a unit within Cal/OSHA to prosecute perpetrators who force or coerce vulnerable people into jobs with little or no pay.
Republican legislators tried to force a vote on ending the COVID state of emergency and cited the Super Bowl.
Nonprofit clinics, tribal organizations and other community groups return to Sacramento for a second year to press for a $100 million health equity and racial justice fund. Gov. Gavin Newsom had left it out of last year’s budget.
A California single payer healthcare bill advanced out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, but a bigger vote could be next week.
As Democrats' hopes dwindle for passing the Build Back Better social spending bill, California officials weigh in on next steps for the infrastructure bill signed into law last month.