California public schools and colleges would have to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under legislation sent Thursday to Gov. Gavin Newsom as women’s rights advocates push nationwide for affordable access to pads, tampons and other items. The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia builds on her 2017 law...
California OKs New Spending on Drought, Wildfire Prevention
California lawmakers on Thursday voted to spend more than $2 billion to prevent wildfires and address a severe drought, closing the book — for now — on a $262.5 billion operating budget that began the year with a record deficit because of the pandemic and ended with a record surplus...
Can Larry Elder Build ‘Movement’ From California Recall?
In two months, Larry Elder went from conservative talk radio host to leader of the Republican field in the California recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, drawing national headlines, attracting enthusiastic fans to his rallies and quickly banking millions for his first campaign. Voting concludes...
Federal Mandate Takes Vaccine Decision off Employers’ Hands
Larger U.S. businesses now won't have to decide whether to require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Doing so is now federal policy. President Joe Biden announced sweeping new orders Thursday that will require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate immunizations or offer weekly testing. The new...
Judge: County Can’t Ban Water Delivery to Hmong Pot Farmers
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge has ruled Northern California county officials can't stop trucks from delivering water to Hmong farmers who are illegally growing marijuana, saying the practice raises “serious questions” about racial discrimination and leaves the growers without a source of water for drinking, bathing and growing food. Chief...
Lightning Brings Risk of New Wildfires to California
SAN FRANCISCO— Fast-moving thunderstorms with lightning and little rain moved across Northern California early Friday, raising the risk of new wildfires in the drought-stricken region. A red flag warning for critical fire weather conditions was expected to remain in effect all day, but the thunderstorm threat was expected to diminish...
Los Angeles Schools Mandate Vaccine for All Students 12 and Up
The Los Angeles board of education voted Thursday to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person classes in the nation’s second-largest school district. The move makes Los Angeles by far the largest of a very small number of districts with a vaccine requirement....
Biden Issues Sweeping New Vaccine Mandates for 100 Million Americans
WASHINGTON — In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant. Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticized...
California Recall Brings Harris Home to Support Gov. Newsom
SAN LEANDRO — Vice President Kamala Harris returned to her home state of California on Wednesday to rally voters against the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose campaign expressed growing confidence the first-term Democrat would survive the attempt to remove him from office a year early. Harris crafted the race...
N. Korea, Slimmed Down Kim Jong Un, Enjoy Toned-Down Parade
SEOUL, South Korea — Military search dogs and goose-stepping trainers. Health workers wearing gas masks and red hazmat suits. And a slimmed down, beaming Kim Jong Un in a cream-colored business suit. The parade marking North Korea’s celebration of its 73rd anniversary was a marked departure from past militaristic displays,...