When the superintendent in San Francisco Unified proposed closing schools recently, parents launched a prolonged — and successful — protest. The uproar may have died down for now, but the issue is likely to erupt at school boards across the state — and some say that's a good thing. Declining...
Republican Vince Fong Won a Seat He Didn’t Want and Now Taxpayers Must Pay for a New Election
San Joaquin Valley Republican Vince Fong was on the ballot this fall for an Assembly race, but he didn't want to win it. After all, he left that job for Congress earlier this year, and he planned to stay in the nation's capital. He even went so far as to...
How the Trump Administration Could Ease or Expand California’s Housing Crisis
As California Democrats attempt to "Trump-proof" the state and Republicans celebrate their party's sweeping victory, the mood among some of the state's most prominent housing advocates is glum. "Trump's extremist economic agenda is going to tank the housing market and housing construction," Sen. Scott Wiener, one of the Legislature's loudest...
A Pivotal Moment? Why Many Latino Voters in California Chose Trump
MERCED – At first, Marlyn Huesgew Mendoza registered as a Democrat. In 2020, she re-registered as a Republican and voted for Donald Trump for president, as she did this election. The reason is simple: It was in 2018 — when he was in office — that her family was finally...
This Central Valley Program Helps Californians Get Six-Figure Jobs
In 2019, Alexis Rowberry was living in a Fresno County homeless shelter with her two kids, recently out of what she described as an abusive relationship. "We had nothing," she said. She found herself at the Fresno County Department of Social Services, staring at a flier. "They had something up...
California Enacts New Climate Rules. Will They Boost Gas Prices?
In one of its most controversial decisions, California's air board voted tonight to revamp a key climate change program, which could increase gas prices in a state already facing some of the nation's steepest costs at the pump. The California Air Resources Board approved major changes to its Low Carbon...
California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat
California's top Senate Democrat called a prominent labor union "morally bankrupt" after it spent more than $1 million to oppose the state's most vulnerable Democratic senator in a tight race that could put a Republican in his seat. The union apparently spent the money against Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton...
Trump’s Proposed Tariffs, Especially on China and Mexico, Could Hit California Hard
A range of experts, from Nobel Prize-winning economists to an internet-famous menswear writer, have a message for Americans who voted for Donald Trump based on his promises to bring down prices: This likely won't go how you want. Some voters cited the cost of living as a factor in their...
Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments
When President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House in January, he will become a key figure in California's homelessness crisis, holding the federal purse strings and setting policy at the national level. So what will this change of power mean for the state as it tries to move its...
CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity
California's state Senate will be at least 50% women for the first time in history and, depending on a few undecided races, the state Legislature overall could reach gender parity for the first time. "What is a milestone like gender parity for, if not a moment like this?" said Susannah...