From Sacramento Bee...
CA Lottery Director Gives Notice
11/20/2023Alva Johnson, director of the California State Lottery has given his two weeks’ notice. Johnson had arrived in 2019, a year after a whistleblower complaint helped spur a reckoning for the agency.
From CalMatters...
Flooded California Towns Got Millions in Aid. But Residents, State at Odds Over How to Spend it
11/16/2023Residents of Planada and Pajaro want state aid to help alleviate debt incurred from rebuilding after January floods. Local officials want some money to go elsewhere.
From CalMatters...
In Rare Strike by Civil Servants, State-Employed Scientists Walk Out for Better Pay
11/15/2023More than 4,000 state scientists have worked under an expired contract for three years. Average wages in 2020 were $83,586, 27% less than state engineers’ pay. The state filed an unfair labor practice charge to stop the strike.
From CalMatters...
Backlash Politics: How Conservatives Have Success Rolling Back California Progressivism
11/14/2023Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.
From CalMatters...
Families Struggle to Pay Power Bills, but California Regulators May Hike Prices
11/14/2023Millions of people across the state struggle to pay electric bills as California regulators decide on proposed rate increases. PG&E wants a rate hike to bolster the safety and reliability of its services.
From New York Times...
Why It’s Taken So Long for the Golden Gate Bridge to Get a Protective Barrier
11/14/2023Workers are in the final stages of a long, $217 million project: Install a protective barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from the bridge since it opened in 1937.
From CalMatters...
Community College Enrollment Rebounding Post-Pandemic, and Students Over 50 Are a Big Reason Why
11/12/2023California’s community colleges are seeing enrollment gains for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older students—those over 50—are some of the first to return.
From CalMatters...
New Law Raising Wage for California Health Workers May Cost State Billions
11/12/2023More than half a million California health care workers are expected to see a pay increase in January thanks to a law raising the minimum wage for their industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law without a clear estimate about how much it would cost the state.
From The Mercury News...
Crews Begin Clearing Berkeley Encampment That Advocates Tried to Save
11/09/2023Berkeley public works staff and police officers began closing the longstanding encampment along Seventh and Eighth streets in an “imminent health hazard and emergency abatement,” which was ordered to tackle safety concerns.
From CalMatters...
California’s Young Workers Are Essential to the Economy. Why are They Stuck in Low Wage Jobs?
11/08/2023Young people are stuck earning low wages, working long hours—often while going to school—and often without benefits or work protections. Their hardships may hamper the state’s economy for years to come, researchers say.
From CalMatters...
Newsom Taking New Approach to California’s 10,000 Homeless Veterans
11/05/2023California’s population of homeless veterans has plateaued despite billions of dollars in state spending to create housing for former service members. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to shift resources to focus on veterans with serious mental health conditions.
From CalMatters...
Community College Student Services: An Urgent Need. But Has California Law Kept Up Since the ’60s?
10/30/2023State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.
From CalMatters...
If State Lacks Cash to Expand Cal Grant Program, Cuts to Middle-Class Aid May be Inevitable
10/26/2023Some advocates believe the state should expand the Cal Grant program for low-income students next year, even if that means pulling money from a financial aid program that benefits middle class students.
From CalMatters...
Effects of COVID Isolation Surfacing for California’s Young Professionals
10/25/2023After years of isolation and virtual classes, young professionals in California’s workforce are reportedly struggling with greater mental health challenges and burnout. If colleges and companies don’t pay more attention, there could be economic consequences.
From CalMatters...
Western States’ Water Cuts Should Hold Off Colorado River Crisis—For Now
10/25/2023Wet weather and planned cuts by California, Arizona and Nevada averted declines that could have threatened water deliveries and power production—but long-term threats to the Colorado River remain.
From CalMatters...
California Colleges Miss Deadline for Student Parents’ Priority Registration
10/24/2023Signed by the governor in September 2022, AB 2881 aims to help student parents in California by offering them priority registration. Advocates are optimistic the law will formalize data collection, allowing them to better serve this student population that represents 1 in 5 students nationally.
From Mountain Democrat...
State of the County: Development Would Bring Housing, Revenue
10/23/2023Housing development, financial stability, county workforce satisfaction and healthy communities all were part of El Dorado County Chair of the Board of Supervisors Wendy Thomas’ State of the County address.
From CalMatters...
Tiny Homes for the Homeless—Do They Help Solve the Problem?
10/18/2023Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.
From CalMatters...
California’s Broadband Plan Sold Low-Income Regions Short, Advocates Say
10/18/2023After years of planning a broadband system to bridge California’s digital divide, officials deprioritized some low-income areas due to unexpected costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s committed to funding the entire network, but advocates are skeptical.
From CalMatters...
California Student Test Scores Remain Low
10/18/2023Despite an influx of money to counter learning loss during the pandemic, English language arts and math test scores remain low.
From CalMatters...
Despite Newsom Veto, State Takes Steps to Ban Artificial Turf Due to ‘Forever Chemicals’
10/17/2023California cities can ban synthetic turf under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed. He rejected a bill to ban PFAS in fake lawns.
From CalMatters...
New Kaiser Union Walkout Threat Forces 'Historic' Deal in Big Win for Workers
10/16/2023Unions at Kaiser Permanente put pressure on the health care giant to raise pay and address what they called understaffing during two strikes over the past year. The results reflected labor’s power in California.
From CalMatters...
10/15/2023Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.
From CalMatters...
10/15/2023Gov. Newsom vetoed bills to outlaw caste discrimination and to consider gender affirmation in child custody cases. Advocates wonder if he’s thinking about his national political profile.
From CalMatters...
San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Pumpers Need to Slow Down or Face Fines, State Says
10/12/2023Hundreds of wells in Tulare Lake aquifer are at risk of going dry. Today's recommendation is the first time that state officials have moved to crack down on local plans that fail to stop excessive groundwater pumping.
From CalMatters...
Kaiser To Pay $200 million Settlement for Botched Mental Health Appointment System
10/12/2023Kaiser patients waited 19 days for follow-up mental health appointments in 2019, nine days longer than state law permits. The settlement includes the largest-ever penalty issued by California’s behavioral health regulator.
From CalMatters...
10/10/2023The governor signed two other bills that strengthen protections for grocery workers during grocery store mergers and acquisitions.
From CalMatters...
California Becomes First State to Ban More Than 2 Dozen Chemicals Used in Popular Cosmetics
10/09/2023A new California law will ban over two dozen chemicals from fragrances and cosmetics. It’s another first-in-the-nation law—and another instance of California following European Union regulators.
From Mountain Democrat...
Sen. Alvarado-Gil Opens New EDH Office
10/08/2023Marie Alvarado-Gil and her team recently celebrated the grand opening of the state senator’s El Dorado Hills district office. Events included an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
From CalMatters...
Laphonza Butler’s Career Was Born in the Labor Movement. Will Unions Back Her Senate Bid?
10/08/2023If California’s new U.S. senator runs in the 2024 election, she would likely have to court labor unions’ support, quickly. But with three other labor-friendly Democrats already winning union backing, time and resources are running out.
From CalMatters...
Public Utilities Commission to Vote on Plan That Could Make it Harder to Power Homes With Solar
10/05/2023The CPUC is considering a rule that would gut the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, and many housing groups are blazing mad about it.
From CalMatters...
To Make Water Conservation a ‘California Way of Life,’ the Price Tag is $13 Billion
10/04/2023Water providers say rebates for residential areas are costly and residents may refuse to remove their lawns. The rules aim to save enough water for more than a million households a year.