Lina Mills recalls how she came to this country from Colombia at age 16 having never worked a day in her life. Once she arrived, she found work in restaurants. “I had to provide for myself,” Mills told CalMatters recently. “I basically ran from home.” She knew some English, learned...
Find Out Which Lobbying Groups Get Their Way Most Often in the California Legislature
Los Angeles and the Bay Area tend to get their way in the California Legislature. So do labor unions, social justice organizations and defense attorneys. On the flip side, anti-tax, police and business groups are much less successful. Those are the key findings from a data analysis of the organizations...
Gavin Newsom and Top Democrats Are Deciding California’s Budget Behind Closed Doors
After legislative leaders failed to reach an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom about how to close California’s projected multibillion-dollar deficit, the Legislature passed a placeholder state budget today, just ahead of a mandatory deadline. With only a few weeks left until the start of the new fiscal year on July...
These California Dams Need Repairs, but Newsom Plans to Cut Grants in Half
Several dozen dams throughout California could store up to 107 billion more gallons of water if they underwent repairs to fix safety problems. But facing a staggering state deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting funding for a dam repair grant program in half this year, while state legislators want...
Some California Officials Can Meet Remotely. For Local Advisory Boards, State Lawmakers Say No
On the one hand, allowing local advisory boards and commissions to meet remotely could make it easier for more Californians to take part, including those with disabilities or in jobs that make it hard to attend in-person meetings. But on the other, shouldn’t people have the opportunity to address their...
California Sits on Millions That Could Boost Wage Theft Response
As lobbyists for businesses and labor groups negotiate with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration on how to amend a unique California labor law that allows workers to sue their bosses, the two sides seem to agree on at least one puzzling reality. The law, known as the Private Attorneys General Act,...
A Lost Credit Card and $7 Cheeseburger Reignites CA’s Debate Over Excessive Bail
By most metrics, Gerald Kowalczyk was a uniquely bad candidate to leave jail before his trial. He had a criminal record of more than 60 convictions, a history of failing to adhere to his release conditions and a pretrial algorithm’s assessment that he presented the highest risk score possible. A...
Why Gavin Newsom’s Gun Control Constitutional Amendment Hasn’t Gone Beyond California
One year after Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed changing the U.S. Constitution to place new restrictions on gun ownership, no other states have joined his campaign for a 28th amendment. Even as Newsom continues to tout the effort — largely through social media advertisements that encourage people to sign a “petition”...
How Shots Instead of Pills Could Change California’s Homeless Crisis
As Dr. Rishi Patel’s street medicine van bounces over dirt roads and empty fields in rural Kern County, he’s looking for a particular patient he knows is overdue for her shot. The woman, who has schizophrenia and has been living outside for five years, has several goals for herself: Start...
Are California Schools Illegally Diverting Arts Education Money?
A celebrity was in the house for the state Senate’s floor session last week: Hollywood actor Danny Glover, as “an advocate for the arts,” according to Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino of Glendale, who introduced him. Glover’s visit comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes to slash $22.5 million in state arts funding in...