Kiplinger, a personal finance publication, has assembled a detailed summary of state taxes on income, property, and everything you buy. While not landing among the Top 10 most-tax friendly states, California received Kiplinger's "tax-friendly" designation — the same as its big economic rival, Texas. "The Golden State’s reputation as a...
FBI: Inmate Is the Deadliest Serial Killer in US History
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The inmate who claims to have killed more than 90 women across the country is now considered to be the deadliest serial killer in U.S. history, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. Samuel Little, who has been behind bars since 2012, told investigators last year that...
California OKs Pharmacists to Dispense HIV Prevention Meds
SACRAMENTO — Pharmacists in California will be able to dispense HIV prevention pills to patients without a doctor's prescription after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday that supporters say will greatly reduce the spread of infection. Advocates of Senate Bill 159 say California is the first state to authorize pre-exposure...
March Ballot Will Include $15 Billion Schools Bond
SACRAMENTO — California's voters will vote next year whether the state should issue $15 billion in bonds for school construction and modernization projects. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday placing the bond on the March 2020 ballot. He says improving physical conditions in schools will improve students' educational experiences. Nine...
Walters: The Darker Side of Regulation
Assembly Bill 1133 would appear to be one of the least important of the 700-plus measures that the Legislature sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom in the final days of its 2019 session. Sponsored primarily by Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters Union, AB 1133 would allow brewers to provide, free of charge, up...
Walters: California's Paradox of Wealth and Poverty
By happenstance, events in the final week of September perfectly framed what one might call the California Paradox — a thriving, world-class economy with stubbornly high levels of poverty and a widening divide between the haves and have-nots. The week began with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s keynote address to a United Nations-sponsored forum...
Why Are There So Many Filipino Nurses in California?
In California hospitals today, immigration has diversified not only the state’s patient population, but the demographics of its caregivers as well. It is now commonplace to be cared for at the bedside by a Filipino immigrant nurse. According to the 2016 Survey of California Registered Nurses, Filipinos make up the...
Investigators Focus on Rogue Vape Brand as Illness Spreads
LOS ANGELES — It's a widely known vape cartridge in the marijuana economy, but it’s not a licensed brand. And it’s got the kind of market buzz no legitimate company would want. The vape cartridges that go by the catchy, one-syllable name “Dank,” a slang word for highly potent cannabis,...
Conservatives Clap Back Against California in Court — Twice
It was a busy Tuesday for GOP-affiliated courtroom battles against the state of California. In the morning, conservatives sued the state claiming it was failing to “ensure that non-citizens are never placed on the voter rolls.” In the afternoon, they scored an early, anticipated victory to block a new state law that...
Stockton’s Free Cash Initiative: Where Did the Money Go?
SACRAMENTO — The first data from an experiment in a California city where needy people get $500 a month from the government shows they spend most of it on things such as food, clothing and utility bills. The 18-month, privately funded program started in February and involves 125 people in...