Killer Cars, COVID & Copyright

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recipe for digging the state out of a multibillion-dollar budget hole has “strengths and weaknesses” while his revenue projections are “plausible, but optimistic,” the nonpartisan analyst’s office said.

An avalanche swept up skiers at Lake Tahoe’s largest ski resort on Jan. 10 as a 150-foot-wide sheet of snow slid down a mountain slope.

The Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors voted 11-1 for a new light rail station, with opposition coming from Citrus Heights Mayor Bret Daniels who sits on the board.

An overgrown parcel of land on the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue could become a new food truck plaza.

The metamorphosis started slowly on Jan. 5 as dozens of fans roamed the streets in cosplay fan shirts, props and more. By dawn on Jan. 7, the rising sun made everyone’s costumes pop even brighter.

Some say the state is not developing and maintaining community recreational facilities equally. They point out that green spaces in neighborhoods where Black Californians live remain underfunded.

Last year, environmental groups and tribes rallied behind a proposed expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Expansion was tried through congressional legislation, but it stalled.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case related to whether cities and towns can ban camping on public property. The high court could overturn Martin v. Boise, a 2018 federal court decision that keeps western cities and counties from blocking public camping when sufficient shelter space is unavailable.

California’s projected budget deficit of close to $38 billion likely means some cuts are coming. Among them, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed ending the California State Park Adventure Pass, which offers free access to some state parks for fourth graders.

Pea Soup Andersen’s, a Buellton, Calif., restaurant just shy of its 100th birthday, closed suddenly. The restaurant's other location, near Interstate 5 in Santa Nella, remains open.

Sacramento attorney Mark Merin has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of a man who died in May after being held at the county jail. Other inmates have died in recent years, and the jail is under a federal consent decree to improve its health care.

Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism found that hate crimes rose 12.9% between 2022 and 2023. The spike follows a particularly stark increase in crimes against Jewish people.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for a March 19 primary to elect a replacement for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who resigned from Congress in December. If a candidate doesn’t win outright, a runoff will be held on May 21.

Caltrans has set a Jan. 25 deadline for tech companies to show how generative artificial intelligence might reduce traffic congestion in the state. This follows an executive order that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September related to this type of AI.

New rules took effect Jan. 1 permanently protecting the most fragile deep sea corals off Southern California. Simultaneously, more than 4,500 square miles of ocean waters are now reopened to fishing after more than 20 years of closures.