This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The union leader federal agents detained at an immigration protest in Los Angeles last week is well known to California’s Democratic leadership from his years of activism in and out of the Capitol. That’s one reason so many...
Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In 1947, decades before the federal Clean Air Act, California's leaders began regulating the causes of harmful air pollution. It was also our state that, in 2006 under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, passed arguably the most aggressive greenhouse gas...
Were Cuts in Rooftop Solar Payments Legal? CA Supreme Court Hears Arguments
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The California Supreme Court heard arguments today in a case that could be pivotal to the spread of rooftop solar panels in California. Environmental and consumer advocacy groups are seeking to reverse a 2022 decision by state regulators...
It’s Expensive to Become a Teacher in California. This Bill Would Pay Those Who Try
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When Brigitta Hunter started her teaching career, she had $20,000 in student loans and zero income – even though she was working nearly full time in the classroom. “We lived on my husband’s pathetic little paycheck. I don’t...
Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. At age 24, Alan Vargas wants to lead the California Democratic Party. Sporting a beige cowboy hat and a pink shirt, the young progressive running for party chair evoked waves of cheers as he vowed to shake things...
California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Anyone entering a California prison — including visitors, staff and attorneys — will be subject to a canine search under a new policy rolling out across the state. CalMatters obtained a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation memo...
After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. We all know of mom-and-pop shops run by couples who share the workload and, if lucky, become integral to the communities they serve. Until recently my husband, Norm Benson, and I were mom-and-pop operators of a water treatment...
Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California's port traffic is beginning to look worse now, under the effects of President Donald Trump's fickle tariff policy, than it did at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The vessel calls, or cancellations, that we’re seeing today...
How Gentrification Is Killing the Bus: California’s Rising Rents Are Pushing Out Commuters
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The northern tip of the Vermont Square neighborhood in South Los Angeles gentrified in many of the usual ways over the last decade. Median incomes shot up. The neighborhood's share of Black residents declined. On the list of...
Medicaid Work Rules Could Leave a Million Californians With No Health Insurance
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. If Congress moves forward with a controversial proposal to require people to report work hours to keep Medicaid, more than a million of California's poorest residents could lose their health insurance. The budget bill that the U.S. House...