SANTA ROSA — Firefighters battled destructive wildfires in Northern California wine country and on the west side of Los Angeles on Monday, trying to beat back flames that forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Pacific Gas & Electric, cut off power to an estimated 2.5 million people in...
Walters: Slanting Ballot Measure Titles
Article II Section 10(d) of California’s constitution is brief, to wit: “Prior to circulation of an initiative or referendum petition for signatures, a copy shall be submitted to the attorney general who shall prepare a title and summary of the measure as provided by law.” That sounds like a routine...
Walters: Are the Wealthy Fleeing California Taxes?
Here is an indisputable fact about California taxation: More than two-thirds of state general fund revenues come from personal income taxes and about half of those taxes are paid by the 1% of taxpayers atop the income scale. In other words, K-12 schools, state colleges and universities, health and welfare...
Is Your City Ready for California’s Next Recession?
By Judy Lin and Elizabeth Castillo CalMatters California might be enjoying a historic economic expansion, but pockets of the state could be devastated in the next recession and at least 18 cities are even now at high risk of fiscal distress, according to a first-in-the-nation dashboard released Thursday by State Auditor Elaine...
Swarm of Sea Urchins Wreaks Destruction on US West Coast
NEWPORT, Ore. — Tens of millions of voracious purple sea urchins that have already chomped their way through towering underwater kelp forests in California are spreading north to Oregon, sending the delicate marine ecosystem off the shore into such disarray that other critical species are starving to death. A recent...
Turn in Your Unwanted Prescription Drugs on Saturday
Have unneeded or expired prescription drugs at your house? You can drop them off Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's the 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Vaping Devices and Cartridges Accepted The event has received enthusiastic support since it began in 2010. Earlier this year, in...
PG&E Admits It May Have Ignited Sonoma Fire
LOS ANGELES — Pacific Gas & Electric admitted its electrical equipment may have ignited a ruinous wildfire spreading across the California wine country, despite blackouts imposed across the region to prevent blazes. The disclosure came as firefighters simultaneously battled flames in both Northern and Southern California: the fire amid Sonoma...
Florida Considers Allowing College Athletes to Earn Money
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Following California's lead, Florida lawmakers are tackling NCAA rules that prohibit college athletes from reaping financial benefits from their prowess in the arena of big-money sports. With a bounty of marquee college sports programs, Florida could help student athletes flex their muscles as they take on the...
3 Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Northern California Deputy
SOMERSET — Three men have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a Northern California sheriff's deputy who was killed while responding to a falsely reported theft from an illegal marijuana growing operation in the rural Sierra Nevada foothills, authorities said Thursday. El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy Brian...
Fire Erupts as Californians Hit With 2nd Round of Blackouts
GEYSERVILLE — A Northern California wildfire exploded in size early Thursday amid dangerous winds that prompted PG&E to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. Authorities ordered the entire community of Geyserville to evacuate after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than...