State of California Government News

02/28/2025
RED MEANS FAILURE, green means progress. Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a new tracker tool this week that shows how local agencies are using state funds to eradicate homelessness and rates their success. The concept is to pool data on grants and reporting so counties can watch other counties; the public can watch state spending; and the governor can make the argument for granting or cutting funds.

02/28/2025
State and federal water managers have announced significant increases to water allocations across California thanks to early February storms and healthy reservoir levels.

02/27/2025
In the past few months, some Democratic state legislators have joined the reported exodus of users on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

02/27/2025
Almost 15 million Californians have health care coverage through Medi-Cal, a program that stands to lose billions of dollars if Republicans follow through on proposed cuts.

02/27/2025
The governor has proposed spending climate bond money dedicated to wildfire mitigation in various ways. Some lawmakers think a focused strategy would be more effective.

02/26/2025
Each year, legislation aimed at better wildfire mitigation fails – often due to cost or conflict with environmental regulations.

02/26/2025
Feather River College is still reeling from the 2021 Dixie Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in the surrounding community and warped the housing market. The college is one of many schools that have tried — and failed — to secure state grants to build more student housing.

02/26/2025
Ricardo Lara said he will look at information provided by State Farm before revisiting his previous decision to reject the company’s emergency rate hike.

02/26/2025
A new program dubbed “Engaged California” aiming to give the public a greater voice in government is launching soon, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced. Described as an exercise in “deliberative democracy,” the program is designed to help the public influence and inform government actions such as the ongoing Los Angeles firestorm rebuilding and recovery, the governor’s office said.

02/25/2025
California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, a new law that stiffened penalties for certain drug and theft charges, and pledged to provide “mass treatment” for those facing drug charges. But since the law took effect, some counties have been scrambling to implement the measure without new funding or, according to people involved in enforcing the law, sufficient resources.

02/25/2025
California is giving students more time to apply for college aid due to a drop in completed applications.

02/24/2025
The governor vowed to clear the way for more groundwater recharge. Has it worked? “We’re still tinkering around with small numbers,” one expert says.

02/23/2025
A passel of recent California laws were supposed to supercharge the construction of desperately needed housing. According to YIMBY Law, they haven’t even come close.

02/22/2025
A new bill by a Bay Area state senator aims to create a special fund to help clean up so-called forever chemicals in California’s water supply. Senate Bill 454 was introduced by Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, on February 18 and, if passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor, would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund.

02/20/2025
In a dispute over whether he can convert his three-story condominium’s garage into its own ground-floor apartment, one Carlsbad resident is waging a battle against his homeowners association.

02/20/2025
Read on to learn more about the package of 15 bills proposed by the California Legislative Black Caucus to correct the discrimination and harm to descendants of the enslaved in California.

02/20/2025
California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard has been stalled because it lacks ”clarity.” The new standard, which offers incentives for cleaner fuels, is highly controversial because it would raise gas prices.

02/19/2025
California lawmakers are rushing to fix last year’s controversial changes to the state’s lemon law, which critics say weakened protections for car buyers.

02/19/2025
The timing could not have been better — or worse.

02/18/2025
California Governor Newsom signed an emergency proclamation, opening up state funding and personnel to help recover from the storms which caused over $44 million in damages to Santa Cruz County. Read on for details.

02/18/2025
In the days and weeks following the January Los Angeles County wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his office moved quickly to manage the response and begin recovery efforts after the blazes were contained. Since then, the governor has been singularly focused on the region, describing his approach as “an extended period of engagement” with L.A. during a press conference in Altadena last week.

02/18/2025
California has known for years that it must pay extra attention to people with disabilities and limited mobility during natural disasters. Will it put the lessones of the L.A. fires to use for the next emergency?

02/17/2025
Against the recommendation of his staff experts, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara denied a request from State Farm to green light “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders.

02/17/2025
A spate of new bills in California and other states would protect consumers from electricity rate hikes that subsidize data centers.

02/14/2025
The audit by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission followed CalMatters’ revelations that a law requiring trip organizers to annually disclose their major donors had been used only twice in seven years — even as interest groups continued paying millions for lawmakers’ travel.

02/14/2025
In the wake of the Los Angeles fires, State Farm asked for an “emergency” premium increase of 22% on average for California homeowners. Lara today denied the request pending more information.

02/13/2025
Despite Trump’s plans, federal funding is a small part of California’s education budget and the state oversees curriculum.

02/12/2025
Californians rejected the anti-slavery ballot measure Proposition 6, which would have forbid forced prison labor. Reparations advocates want to try again in 2026.

02/12/2025
After a 2022 CalMatters series documenting long waits and low payouts for workers who claim their employers have shorted them on wages, California lawmakers have now proposed bills to try to ease the backlogs.

02/11/2025
Sen. Kelly Seyarto is the only former career firefighter currently serving in the Legislature. But as a Republican in a Democratic supermajority, he says it can be challenging to make progress on wildfire policy.