State of California Government News

03/06/2025
Los Angeles Assemblymember Rick Zbur says he wants to narrow the standards for justifiable homicide. Critics say he wants to make self-defense illegal.

03/06/2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls' sports today — a notable change in his position that thrust the Democratic governor into the center of a national maelstrom. It was unclear whether he will act on his new position as Republicans urged him to follow conservative states in banning transgender athletes from girls' sports.

03/06/2025
California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas reopened the application process for the Coastal Commission seat held by Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings. Read on to learn more about what's behind this and next steps.

03/05/2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to see tangible results from the $6.4 billion mental health bond voters approved last year. Moving fast carries a risk of neglecting under-resourced communities.

03/04/2025
In 2022 California declared itself a refuge for transgender health care after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law ensuring gender-affirming care for California minors and those living outside the state.

03/04/2025
This appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on homeless encampments in California and beyond.

03/03/2025
Since 2016, the DMV has collected more than $8 million from nearly 5,300 car sales, according to a CalMatters analysis.

03/03/2025
Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.

03/03/2025
The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.

03/02/2025
Two years ago, California made a bold announcement that it would manufacture a state-branded, low-cost insulin. Drug manufacturers, insurers, economists and diabetics took notice. It had the potential to disrupt the market, bring down drug costs and save patients’ lives.

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.