What state imposes the highest average property tax burden on farmers and ranchers? Unfortunately, when it comes to taxes and regulations, you would be correct in guessing California every time — and now voters will decide if they want to double down on this state’s high-tax reputation by voting on Proposition 15....
Fires Raise Fight Over Climate Change Before Trump’s Visit
BEAVERCREEK, Ore. — With crews battling wildfires that have killed at least 35 people, destroyed neighborhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke, another fight has emerged: leaders in the Democratic-led states and President Donald Trump have clashed over the role of climate change ahead of his visit Monday to...
Walters: Supreme Court Makes Local Tax Hikes Easier
In a roundabout, passive way, the California Supreme Court last week handed a big victory to the advocates of higher taxes. Without comment, the justices declined to take up a state appellate court decision that would allow specialized local government taxes to be increased by a simple majority of voters,...
California Aims To Phase Out State-Operated Youth Prisons
SACRAMENTO — After years of fruitless debate, California now is on the verge of phasing out its state-operated juvenile prison system, a move hailed by reform advocates and criticized by counties that would assume responsibility for some of the state's most violent criminal youth. The bill state lawmakers sent to...
Walters: Environmental Exemptions Yes, but Reform No
The California Legislature has a handy website that allows users to find and track the thousands of bills that are introduced during its two-year sessions. If one enters “California Environmental Quality Act” into the website’s search function, 171 bills pop up for the session that ended a fortnight ago, implying the Legislature’s penchant for...
New California Law Helps Former Inmate Firefighters Get Jobs
SACRAMENTO — California's inmate firefighters will have a shot at becoming professional firefighters once they complete their sentences, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday. The new law will allow state and county inmates who train as firefighters to seek to erase the criminal records that...
California Man Charged in Attack on Republican Club Office
LOS ANGELES — A California man has been charged with arson in a firebomb attack on a local Republican club office. The U.S. Attorney's Office said 23-year-old Carlos Espriu of Palm Desert was expected to appear in federal court on Friday. He faces one federal charge of attempted arson and...
DA Has Message for Newsom After Not Filing Charges on Restaurant Owners
Restaurant owners were quick to celebrate after Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp didn't file criminal charges against them for failing to comply with state-mandated orders during the pandemic. House of JuJu, Pismo's Coastal Grill, Culichi Town, and Luna's Pizzeria were all cited by agents from state Alcohol Beverage Control....
Q&A: La Nina May Bring More Fire Danger to California
La Nina — which often means a busier Atlantic hurricane season, a drier Southwest and perhaps a more fire-prone California — has popped up in the Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that a La Nina, the cooler flip side of the better known El Nino, has formed....
GOP Targets Democratic-Run California in Election Gamble
LOS ANGELES — Republican candidates eager for a turnaround in heavily Democratic California are spotlighting what they see as a dire threat to families and communities — their own state’s policies. GOP contenders from the U.S. House to city councils are looking to make the November election a referendum on...