California's Revolutionary Culture

Camino Union Elementary School District parents, teachers and staff packed into the small portable classroom used for school board meetings to demand the resignation of Brett Nelson, the school's new superintendent/principal.

The city of Placerville was the recipient of a surprise early Christmas present when state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil announced she secured $1 million in state funds to go toward the creation of the Placerville joint public safety facility.

One of the countless billboards in New York City earlier this year afforded a glimpse of an advertisement for Khloe Rose’s debut EP, “The In Between”—a rising star who is living an everyday life in Placerville.

More than two years after their small community burned in the Caldor Fire, Grizzly Flat residents are anticipating the reopening of their local U.S. Postal Service post office, now in its final stages of construction.

The Carter Family Homesite at the intersection of Drummond Street and American Hills Road was designated as Nevada County Historical Landmark NEV 23-03. It commemorates two of the county’s African American pioneers.

This January, Sierra Commons begins a five-week course to teach food entrepreneurs how to bring products to market.

By declining to hear a conservative group’s challenge, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a California ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth. California is one of 22 states to ban this practice.

An estimated 100,000 pizza boxes have been removed from Yosemite’s waste stream. This is because the famed park now serves pizza on trays and puts to-go portions in compostable bags, part of a move to reduce food-related waste.

Californians have said they experienced added difficulty over the past year in getting car insurance. Insurer rates have gone up more than usual.

The California Department of Water Resources released an environmental impact report for a tunnel that the state would like to build through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The report identifies potential impacts to farmland, tribal remains and endangered species of fish.

A coyote recently was found at the $27 million Russian Hill home of AI mogul Sam Altman. This relates to a study, which found that coyote sightings were more frequent in higher-income areas of San Francisco.

Even though California is facing a crippling housing shortage, one potential source remains untapped. The state allows thousands of apartments used for part of the year by farmworkers to otherwise sit vacant for three to six months.

Although the federal government is providing four free COVID tests per month, that’s not the only way to get them. Aetna and Blue Shield of California members can be reimbursed for up to eight at-home tests per month, while Kaiser Permanente is offering discounts on tests.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

California’s “failure to protect” law allows child welfare agencies to take kids from households scarred by domestic violence. Advocates say the separation can worsen a family’s trauma.

Private company Brightline secured a $3 billion grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation toward a 218-mile high-speed rail line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas. The line would allow people to make the trip to Sin City in a little over two hours.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles changed its voter registration process in 2019 to put a party selection dropdown on the same page. Since then, the number of people registering as Republicans or Democrats has jumped close to 20 points.

With nine months’ experience in the Assembly, Liz Ortega will lead the Labor committee after a strike-filled summer and several wins for low-wage workers.

An Alameda County judge ruled on Nov. 22 that the city of Oakland thwarted a proposed coal export terminal. The judge will rule if the developer who sued is entitled to $159 million in damages or moving forward with the project.