Statewide Region Local News

10/17/2024
A new state law bans private colleges from considering an applicant’s ties to family members who are alumni or donors. California’s public universities don’t use legacy admissions.

10/17/2024
Multiple state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on housing and homeless programs in the first five years of Gavin Newsom’s governorship, but the number of people without homes continued to grow, rising by 20% to more than 180,000 in the most recent federal count in 2023.

10/17/2024
Elon Musk, the tech mogul who runs Tesla, said in December that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts “must die.” Now, two civil rights groups are calling for the nation’s largest public pension fund to divest from the electric vehicle maker.

10/16/2024
Supporters of a proposition to ban forced labor in California prisons believe they have a strong message centered on rehabilitation. But as Election Day nears, polls show it’s a toss-up or trailing.

10/16/2024
Tens of thousands of California ride-hailing drivers, and possibly more, could eventually get back pay after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that clears the way for the state and some cities to proceed with their lawsuits against Uber and Lyft.

10/15/2024
Only a few months delayed, Gov. Gavin Newsom finally got to take his victory lap over the oil industry on October 14.

10/14/2024
Last week, VotingMatters went to public libraries, colleges, and a museum to talk about California’s ballot propositions. So far, VotingMatters has reached more than 750 people across 20 events, bringing crucial election information to voters around the state.

10/14/2024
After the Watergate scandal, California voters approved a ballot measure that created the Fair Political Practices Commission — an independent, nonpartisan agency to police election campaigns and investigate political ethics violations.

10/11/2024
The state Senate signs off on Gov. Newsom’s bill to stop spikes in California gas prices. A final vote is scheduled on Monday.

10/09/2024
California allotted half a billion dollars to help community land trusts across the state. But budget cuts and bureaucracy have land trust advocates back where they were in 2020: seeking state aid to preserve affordable housing.

10/09/2024
U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Adam Schiff (far left) and Republican Steve Garvey (second) participate in a debate moderated by news anchor Marc Brown (far right) in Glendale on Oct. 8, 2024. Photo by Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

10/08/2024
On Aug. 31, when Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special session on gas prices, California motorists were paying $4.61 per gallon on average, $1.27 more than the national average. On October 7, when the state Senate finally convened, prices were $4.68 in California, or $1.51 above the national average.

10/08/2024
How to apply rebate as part of the recent $80 million state program to electrify homes.

10/04/2024
Ever since Laphonza Butler took herself out of the running for U.S. Senate a year ago — just two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom picked her to replace the late Dianne Feinstein — she has faded into the background quite a bit.

10/04/2024
The Mercury News explains the Proposition 35 to renew the existing tax used to fund Medi-Cal health services.

10/02/2024
The summer COVID surge in California may be finally abating, but people are still advised to get update vaccines in anticipation of a resurgence in the fall and winter.

10/02/2024
The state Labor Commissioner sometimes struggles to get back pay to workers when it reaches wage theft settlements. It tries social media, TV and hotlines. But money owed to employees is still sitting in state accounts.