SACRAMENTO — California would raise taxes on some homeowners and use the money to pay for homeless services under a bill proposed Thursday. Assemblyman David Chiu, a Democrat from San Francisco, wants to eliminate the mortgage interest deduction on vacation homes. His bill would also lower the amount of mortgage...
Newsom Vetoes SB 1 Environmental Bill Criticized as "Job Killer"
Gov. Gavin Newsom angered some allies on Friday by vetoing a bill aimed at blunting federal rollbacks of clean air and endangered species regulations in the state. The governor's action comes two weeks after the passage of SB 1 in the final hours of the state's legislative session. The bill...
State Senate Disrupted By Woman Throwing Red Liquid on Legislators
SACRAMENTO — A woman threw a feminine hygiene device containing "what appeared to be blood" onto the floor of the state Senate Friday, splashing onto lawmakers and forcing them to finish their work in a committee room on the final day of the legislative session. Senators had just finished taking...
Legislature Approves Contentious Environmental Bill SB 1. Newsom Signals Veto.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated he will veto a bill aimed at countering rollbacks of environmental rules by the Trump Administration. The California legislature passed the controversial environmental bill SB 1 on Saturday and sent it to Newsom's desk. The measure was strongly opposed by Central Valley farming and water...
California Could Require Parents' OK for Social Media Access
SACRAMENTO — California is considering tightening the rules for children under 13 using social media. The state Senate voted 31-4 on Thursday to require social media companies to first get the consent of a parent or guardian before creating an account for a child the company knows is under 13. Federal...
California Assembly OKs Medical Cannabis on K-12 Campuses
SACRAMENTO — California schools may soon allow parents to administer medical marijuana to their children on K-12 campuses. The California Assembly approved a bill Monday that lets school boards decide whether parents can administer medical marijuana on school campuses. It would allow the use of marijuana in non-smoking form. Current...
Walters: Striking With a Hot Iron
The old adage of “strike while the iron is hot” is especially applicable to politics. Something that might be politically impossible at one moment may succeed when circumstances change if advocates for that something move fast enough. It’s why, for instance, dozens of otherwise obscure Democratic politicians are suddenly fancying...
California Near to Ending 150-Year-Old Posse Comitatus Law
SACRAMENTO — California is moving to eliminate what state legislators call an outdated Wild West law requiring that citizens help police upon demand. Lawmakers on Thursday sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a measure eliminating the California Posse Comitatus Act of 1872. The nearly 150-year-old law makes it a misdemeanor with a...
California Near to Ending 150-Year-Old Posse Comitatus Law
SACRAMENTO — California is moving to eliminate what state legislators call an outdated Wild West law requiring that citizens help police upon demand. Lawmakers on Thursday sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a measure eliminating the California Posse Comitatus Act of 1872. The nearly 150-year-old law makes it a misdemeanor with a...
Funeral for Longtime Legislative Staffer MaryAlice Kaloostian Is Wednesday
Memorial services are scheduled Wednesday for MaryAlice Kaloostian, a longtime staffer for several central San Joaquin Valley legislators. Kaloostian, who worked for three state senators, died last week. She last served on the staff of now-former state Sen. Tom Berryhill, who termed out in 2018. In a statement, state Sen....