A review of recent state budgets and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s newly released 2024-25 budget proposal reveals truly monumental errors in revenue estimates by his fiscal advisors, particularly personal income taxes. The stark differences between estimates and reality, if continued, will affect the state budget’s solvency for at least the remaining...
Cost of Locking Someone Up in California Soars to Record $132,860 a Year
The cost of imprisoning one person in California has increased by more than 90% in the past decade, reaching a record-breaking $132,860 annually, according to state finance documents. That’s nearly twice as expensive as the annual undergraduate tuition — $66,640 — at the University of Southern California, the most...
What to Watch for in Debate With California’s US Senate Candidates
Three Democrats and one Republican walk onto a stage. How well will they get along? It is one of many key things to watch at tonight’s U.S. Senate debate in Los Angeles — the first time that top contenders Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, Adam Schiff, and former baseball star...
Outsiders Love Bashing California but Residents Are Souring on the State, Too
As Republican presidential candidates were slogging through Iowa and talking to voters prior to this week’s caucuses, California-bashing was common. Los Angeles Times reporter Seema Mehta picked up on the phenomenon, writing that “the Golden State, its elected leaders and its policies were a constant target.” “Bashing California, one...
Newsom Vows to Veto Any Bill That Bans Youth Tackle Football
Update: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said today that he would veto any bill with an outright ban on youth tackle football. “My Administration will work with the Legislature and the bill’s author to strengthen safety in youth football — while ensuring parents have the freedom to decide which sports are...
Why Visa Reforms Benefit Not Just California’s Tech Sector but the Economy Overall
Apart for our first names, I don’t have much in common with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. But we do agree that the H-1B visa program – which lets companies employ foreign workers in tech and other specialized jobs – is broken. It remains to be seen if Ramaswamy...
Will Avalanches in California Worsen With Climate Change?
As a popular Tahoe ski resort digs out from a tragedy that killed a skier and buried several others, scientists say predicting how the warming planet will affect avalanches is elusive at best. Just after lifts opened on Wednesday, an avalanche tore through the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, creating...
Newsom Wants to Delay Minimum Wage Hike for Healthcare Workers
California healthcare workers banking on a state-ordered minimum wage increase later this year might have to wait a little longer. Because of the state’s $38 billion projected budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he is seeking changes to a law he signed just three months ago that set...
From ‘Train to Nowhere’ to Fresno’s Dream: What High-Speed Rail Means for the Central Valley
Morgan Doizaki reflects often on the stories his mother used to share about how Japan built the world’s first bullet train, the Shinkansen, in the early 1960s. The country between Tokyo and Osaka was “probably one of the worst pieces of land you could choose,” Doizaki remembers her telling him....
Friendlier Prison Guards? Why Newsom’s Advisers Want Them at San Quentin
Lea este artículo en español. Converting a state prison into a rehabilitative center, as the Newsom administration seeks to do with San Quentin, means changing how guards do their jobs. Lea este artículo en español. Instead of shying away from “overfamiliarity” with incarcerated people, prison guards should ask them about...