With every passing year, California continues to shatter records with devastating fire seasons, and 2020 is no exception. This year, the state has lost 4.2 million acres, approximately 9,000 structures, 31 lives, and fire season has not even ended. Gov. Gavin Newsom attributes these wildfires to what he calls “a climate damn...
Opinion: Playgrounds Are Essential for Children; California Was Right to Reopen Them
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week allowed playgrounds to reopen statewide. It was a reversal of a portion of the current health order that had shuttered playgrounds since Sunday. It was also the right thing to do – a decision based on both science and fairness. Decades of research show scrambling up...
Opinion: Blame Our Elected Officials, Not Our Teachers, for Schools Being Closed
Schooling has been an ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures harm families and students. Remote learning is less effective than in-person, especially for younger students. School closures require many parents to reduce work hours or leave the workforce entirely. Other than addressing the pandemic itself, the government’s top focus...
Midway Through Plagued First Term, Newsom’s Career Hits Make-or-Break Point
Speaking to the camera from his home office during the final days of a family quarantine, Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed at times to be giving himself a pep talk, as much as encouraging 40 million Californians to hunker down amid a coronavirus spike threatening to overwhelm hospitals. “We will get through this,” the governor said last...
Real Estate Prices Soar During Pandemic, Climbing 25% in Parts of California
When Colette Barss sold her Seaside home this spring, her new east Garrison-area home had been sitting on the market for about 190 days. She ended up buying it for about $60,000 under asking price. Today, that would be extremely unlikely. The price of real estate has soared across the country since the...
How California Renters Are Bracing for an Eviction Tsunami
Two million Californians could be forced from their rental homes early next year, and the bad omens are happening now, all around them. They’re in the credit card bills they stack in a corner, the personal relationships they test by borrowing money, the hours waiting on the phone hoping to...
Vaccines Getting Closer: Governor Outlines Priorities for Who’s Up First
Californians will likely see the first doses of Pfizer’s new COVID-19 vaccine arrive between Dec. 12 and 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday as he unveiled the state’s distribution plans for its initial allotment of 327,000 doses. The coveted first batch is reserved for health care workers directly caring for...
Opinion: Agencies Should Follow CARB’s Leadership on Emissions From Gas Appliances
California led the nation earlier this year with the country’s first gas-powered vehicle phase-out, but the state’s air regulators aren’t stopping there. An overlooked directive during a recent California Air Resources Board meeting was the first step in phasing out gas-powered appliances in our homes, citing the health and climate...
COVID-19 Infections Hit Record High in California Prisons
Inside California’s prisons, coronavirus cases have exploded, reaching 3,861 active cases last week — the highest so far. Yet the state has slowed its early releases of inmates, raising questions about overcrowding as the infections spread through the prisons. Over the summer, jails and prisons released thousands of inmates through...
California Lawmakers Demand Unemployment Answers From Bank of America CEO
A bipartisan group of California lawmakers is asking Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan for answers about unemployment payment problems that have upended the lives of thousands of jobless Californians who rely on the bank’s prepaid debit cards. The letter made public today comes days after CalMatters detailed how the state’s exclusive...