Nonprofit buys meals from vendors afraid to work during raids.

AI stock gains boost taxes, but layoffs and risks cloud outlook.

More than 1,800 apply as critics say voluntary payouts fall short.

City becomes first in California to allow mid-rise single-stair apartments.

Firefighter PTSD, green schoolyards, imperial beach pollution.

Reparations bills, policing homelessness, small business programs

Proposition 22, the gig industry-backed initiative that 58% of state voters passed in 2020, was ruled unconstitutional by a Superior Court judge before being upheld by a state appeals court. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and other companies have used the law to treat their drivers and delivery workers in California as independent contractors, not as employees. Now, the whole law could be thrown out by the California Supreme Court because of a clause in the initiative declaring gig workers independent contractors not eligible for workers' comp.

California's Imperial Valley is ranked last in terms of electric vehicle ownership. But increasing electric car adoption requires bringing in more EV chargers to communities surrounding the Salton Sea, like Brawley, El Centro and Calexico.