Statewide Region News & Analysis Articles


Image caption: There is a wind-turbine arms race underway in China, which already manufactures windmills whose blades sweep an area the size of 10 football fields per spin.
Wind Turbine Developments off Central Coast on ‘Fast Track’

Ocean wind farms are essential to electrify California’s grid with 100% clean energy. But they’re a giant, costly experiment—no one knows how hundreds of towering turbines will transform the remote North Coast.

Image caption: Research shows kids with hearing loss suffer developmental setbacks if they cannot use hearing aids.
Newsom Vetoes Hearing Aid Coverage for Kids—Again

More than 30 states require insurers to provide some level of coverage for kids’ hearing aids. California isn’t one of them, and Gov. Newsom for the second time has vetoed a bill to close that gap.

Image caption: Gov. Newsom calls bringing down price of insulin “a priority,” then vetoes a bill to do just that.
Why Did Gov. Newsom Veto Bill to Cap Copay on Insulin?

Gov. Gavin Newsom has made lowering the cost of prescription drugs a signature health care issue, but he rejected a bill to cap what diabetics pay for insulin. His reasoning: California is working on a different solution.

Image caption: To pay for the cost of foster child care, counties routinely appropriate Social Security benefits meant for orphans and disabled kids.
Newsom Vetoes Bill to Stop Counties Swiping Foster Kids Benefits

States across the United States are banning the practice of billing kids for the cost of their foster care. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar effort in California, citing costs to the state.

Image caption: New law represents departure from long-standing mental health treatment practices in California.
Californians’ Mental Health: Newsom Signs Law to Overhaul System

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health policies allow the involuntary treatment of more Californians with severe mental illnesses. Some fear the new laws will infringe on the civil liberties of people confined against their will.

Image caption: Demonstrators in Sacramento went on a hunger strike to persuade Gov. Newsom to okay a bill banning caste discrimination.
Newsom Vetoes 'Unnecessary' Caste Discrimination Bill

Gov. Newsom vetoes what would have been a first-in-the-nation law banning caste discrimination in education, housing and the workplace. The bill divided South Asian communities in California.

Image caption: California's program to aid renters who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic may soon run short of funds.
California’s $5.2 Billion Rent Relief Fund Running Low on Cash

California’s COVID-era rent relief program, long saddled with delays, criticisms and legal woes, appears to be running out of money. What does that mean for the more than 100,000 renters still awaiting help?

Image caption: More than 9 million Californians who rely on Kaiser for healthcare would be affected by the scheduled Oct. 4 labor action.
Kaiser Strike Over Worker Pay Could Hit Dozens of California Hospitals

Kaiser Permanente provides health care to more than 9 million Californians. A strike this week could affect patients at dozens of hospitals.

Image caption: Gov. Gavin Newsom names Laphonza Butler, longtime political strategist, to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate.
Newsom Names Laphonza Butler to Replace Dianne Feinstein in Senate

The governor says he's not stopping the president of EMILY's List and former University of California regent from running for a full term in the 2024 election. He rebuffed pressure to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee.

Image caption: Fast food workers celebrate as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill raising their minimum hourly pay to $20.
New CA Fast Food Minimum Wage Set at $20 Under New Law

More than half a million fast food workers, mostly minorities and women, will earn higher minimum wage because Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a fast food bill Thursday. But some say that’s not a living wage.

Image caption: Dianne Feinstein began her career in government six years before current Gov. Gavin Newsom was born.
Dianne Feinstein Dies, ‘Charted Own Path’ in Legendary Career

Dianne Feinstein, California’s longtime senior U.S. senator, has died at age 90, after a legendary career in public life that began in 1961 and took off amidst the turbulent, violent era of San Francisco in the 1970s.

Image caption: Gov. Newsom this week signed a law creating a new 11 percent excise tax on gun manufacturers and retailers.
Gun Manufacturers Fear Days Are Numbered in California

Gov. Newsom just signed a tax on firearms and ammunition, among other new gun control laws. California’s remaining gun manufacturers wonder if they have a future.

Image caption: Border Patrol policies deliberately channel migrants through some of the harshest desert areas in California, resulting in frequent deaths.
Border Patrol Routes Migrants Into Deadly Imperial Valley Desert

In the Imperial County desert, a volunteer group routinely maintains large barrels filled with water to help migrants traversing the California desert. As rescues increase, the longstanding immigration policies that funneled migrants to such harsh terrain deserve scrutiny.

Image caption: California workers could receive unemployment benefits if they go on strike. It’s up to Gavin Newsom.
Gov to Decide if Unemployment Benefits Go to Striking Workers

A union-backed bill that would make strikers eligible for California’s unemployment benefits awaits the governor’s signature. Businesses say it’ll cost too much.

Image caption: California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has a plan that may be the last chance to keep home insurers covering homes in the state.
New Plan to Fix Home Insurance Crisis: What You Need to Know

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveils a plan to shore up the California insurance market for homeowners. Insurers would return to wildfire zones, but would have an easier path to rate increases.

Image caption: Fewer and fewer Californians every month have health insurance due to thinning of enrollment in the state's free health plan for low-income people.
Thousands of Californians Lost Medi-Cal. Here’s What to Do Now

About 300,000 Californians have lost Medi-Cal coverage since the state resumed eligibility checks. You have options if you get a notice about your coverage.

Image caption: A Complicated Billionaire: Elon Musk, one of the great industrial inventors of all time, is on a rocketship to villainhood.
The Self-Demonization of Elon Musk

His critics portray him as a cartoonish billionaire boogeyman, while the world’s wealthiest individual works hard to prove them right.

Image caption: Voters will decide whether to spend funds previously earmarked for mental health care on housing of the homeless.
Newsom’s Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. What Does it Say?

California collects a special tax on high incomes to fund mental health services. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to change how the money is spent so a share of it can be used to fund housing for homeless people with mental …

Image caption: As California's legislative session ends, lawmakers take no steps to address the state's fire insurance crisis.
Legislature Fails to Address California Fire Insurance Crisis

Legislators weren’t able to reach a compromise that helps insurers with wildfire risk while also protecting homeowners. Interest groups hope to find one in meetings this fall.

Image caption: Non-law enforcement spending on anti-hate efforts has topped $200 million since 2021, more than any other state.
California Spends Millions to Stop Hate Crimes. Here’s How

Hate crimes were up 20 percent in California in 2022, with those against transgender, Muslim and Black people increasing especially sharply. But the state is also spending more than any other to combat such crimes, including a hotline, state commission …

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