State of California Government News Digest

Water suppliers say the costs will be massive, with rates increasing for many consumers. Known as the “Erin Brockovich” chemical, hexavalent chromium is found statewide.

There’s so little data available, it’s impossible to even tell if several of California’s largest homelessness programs are working, according to a statewide audit released Tuesday.

Anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades.

Thirty years after prisoners with disabilities sued the state of California and 25 years after a federal court first ordered accommodations, a judge found that state prison and parole officials still are not doing enough to help deaf and blind prisoners.

Elaine Klauer and Krystal Lomanto are among Woman of the Year and Woman of Distinction in Education honorees, respectively, for Senate District 14.

At a press event to celebrate the above-average snowpack survey in the Sierra Nevada on April 2, Newsom unveiled the state’s controversial updated California Water Plan.

A California state agency is paying $2.26 million to Sacramento and Alameda counties to settle a lawsuit that alleges underground leaking storage tanks.

Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

Leaders from the National Urban League and four California chapters gathered March 13 at the Capitol to lobby for a bill that aims to restrict police from making traffic stops for certain low-level offenses.

Voting in California can be complicated. Here are answers to some common questions, plus what the leading U.S. Senate candidates say they would do if they’re elected.

Health providers and addiction experts warn the funding structure is unstable for a California initiative that steers patients with substance use disorder into long-term treatment.

State officials determined that Rancho Palos Verdes can utilize an already-established state of emergency to expedite landslide stabilization efforts as the crisis escalates.

Conservative activists who worked on the failed recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 have launched another attempt, arguing that conditions in California only worsened in the two-and-a-half years since then as Newsom’s attention shifted to national politics.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office projects the 2024-25 shortfall at $73 billion, putting more pressure on legislators and the governor to find savings.

A new bill that would provide health insurance coverage for wigs is headed to the state legislature, thanks in large part to the advocacy efforts of local youths who have drawn attention to the burdens of hair loss.

With the dust settled after the Feb. 19 bill introduction deadline, the California Legislature’s count for new bills this year is 2,124.

Although African Americans comprise 6.5% of California’s population, Black candidates are contesting for 11.5% of California’s congressional seats, 23.8% of state Assembly seats and 30% of state Senate seats.

With Miguel Villapudua termed out, four men and one woman are competing to succeed him as the District 1 supervisor in the upcoming March 5 election.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges against the ringleader of an organized retail crime scheme that involved $8 million worth of beauty products.

When and if California legalizes sports gambling, the policy should honor the laws established in partnership with tribes decades ago, says Assemblyman James Ramos.

For the first time in decades, California is tightening its rules on workplace exposure to lead, a poisonous metal that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Coalitions on opposite sides put out competing studies on the little-known Private Attorneys General Act, which allows employees to file class-action lawsuits over some labor law violations.

California electric vehicle sales dropped significantly in the last half of 2023, raising questions about the state’s ability to phase out gas-powered cars.

Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua has introduced a bill to help crack down on the fentanyl crisis plaguing California.

Nearly 2 million Medi-Cal enrollees can now accumulate savings and property without limitations and still qualify for the state's health insurance program for low-income residents.

Officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs, and the state has spent roughly $370 million on workforce programs. But the results are mixed.

A suite of five bills introduced this weeks seeks to protect election integrity from bad actors using AI, especially on social media.

The California Fast Food Workers Union gives increased clout to employees scattered across multiple chains.