Congressman TJ Cox (D-Fresno) has introduced a bill that would help fix the failing Friant-Kern Canal. Dubbed the Move Water Now Act, H.R. 5316 would provide $200 million in funds to repair a 33-mile middle section of the 152-mile canal. That amount is expected to cover half of the repair...
Analysis: Why Is Your Cable Bill So High? The Experts Break It Down
Every month, millions of Americans bemoan the size of their cable bills. It’s quite enraging, too: a cable company like Comcast or Verizon may advertise a certain monthly price for cable, but when you get the bill in the mail, you end up paying a lot more due to all...
California to Let College Athletes Make Money, Defying NCAA
SACRAMENTO — Defying the NCAA, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law Monday that will let college athletes hire agents and make money from endorsements — a move that could upend amateur sports in the U.S. and trigger a legal challenge. Under the law, which takes effect in 2023, students...
California Senate Oks Expansions of ‘Red Flag’ Gun Law
SACRAMENTO — Employers, co-workers and teachers could ask judges to take away guns from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others under a bill that has cleared the California Senate. California enacted a so-called "red flag law" that took effect in 2016. But it only allows law...
California Might Get One of the Nation’s Toughest Police Use-of-Force Rules
After months of negotiations to craft a bill meant to reduce police shootings in California, legislative leaders have landed on a version that appears likely to pass, with law enforcement groups removing their opposition, civil liberties advocates declaring victory and Gov. Gavin Newsom lauding a policy that “will help restore community...
Law Enforcement Backs Down on Deadly Force Standard—For Now, Anyway
The political landscape in California’s debate over how to curb police shootings shifted Tuesday as law enforcement groups agreed to drop the part of their bill that would lock in the current national standard for justifying the use of deadly force. The move—intended to sustain negotiations on what could be...
Should You Need to Pass a Social Media Check to Get a Gun?
ALBANY, N.Y. — Should hateful tweets keep you from getting a gun? That's a question many have asked after suspects in several horrific mass shootings were found only later to have left social media hints of violence that went unheeded for years. Now a New York lawmaker has introduced a...
Walters: War Over Bail Bonds Has Only Just Begun
One of this year’s most contentious legislative battles was over requiring those accused of serious crimes to post cash bail to be released from jail while their cases are pending. It was seemingly resolved when a bill to eliminate cash bail was passed after a last-minute redrafting of dubious legality...
Senate Backs Bill to Avert Shutdown, Boost Military Spending
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday approved a wide-ranging, $854 billion bill that funds the military and a host of civilian agencies for the next year and provides a short-term fix to keep the government open through early December. The measure includes $675 billion for the Defense Department and boosts...
Bill to End Bail in California Heads to Gov. Brown
SACRAMENTO — A bill approved Tuesday by the California Senate to end bail and replace it with a risk-assessment system is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has indicated he supports it. Senators approved the bill 26-12. It would make California the first state to completely end bail for suspects...