SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric, which is blamed for some of California's deadliest recent fires, knew for years that dozens of its aging power lines posed a wildfire threat but avoided replacing or repairing them, it was reported Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal, using company documents obtained under the federal...
California OKs Benefits to Immigrants in Country Illegally
SACRAMENTO — California has become the first state to offer taxpayer-funded health benefits to young adults living in the country illegally. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes low-income adults age 25 and younger eligible for the state's Medicaid program regardless of their immigration status. State...
49ers' Garoppolo Goes to QB School Before Training Camp
SANTA CLARA — Jimmy Garoppolo is going to summer school before starting training camp with the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo is spending part of his down time between the end of minicamp and the start of training camp July 27 working in Southern California with quarterback guru Tom House. House...
23 Governors Join California in Opposing Trump Mileage Standards
WASHINGTON — Citing climate-damaging tailpipe emissions, 23 governors signed a pledge Tuesday backing California leaders in their showdown with the Trump administration over its plans to relax vehicle mileage standards. The pledge by leaders of states and Puerto Rico, most of them Democrats, comes as the administration seeks to ease tougher...
California’s Pollution Enforcers Want to Save Tropical Forests. But at What Cost?
California’s climate change enforcers are grappling with the thorniest of controversies: how to prevent the planet’s tropical forests from disappearing. The question they aren’t ready to answer — at least not yet — is what focusing on far-away forests could mean for pollution at home. Lawmakers made clear in a...
Walters: Is California a Shining Example or Third-World State?
Recent weeks have seen a debate of sorts about the image and reality of contemporary California. Is it, as Gov. Gavin Newsom contends, a nation-state proving that economic prosperity, multiculturism, and social progress can advance together? “California is what America is going to look like,” he told a television interviewer....
Aftershocks Follow Strongest Cal Earthquake in 20 Years
LOS ANGELES — The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and the Central Valley, as well as parts of Nevada on the July 4th holiday. The earthquake rattled nerves and caused injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm...
As California Pays Their Student Loans, Doctors Agree to Treat Poorer Patients
It’s a trade aimed at getting more doctors to treat poorer patients: California this week said it will help repay the student loans of 247 selected doctors in exchange for their promise that at least 30 percent of their caseload will be people enrolled in Medi-Cal. The $60 million student...
Despite Sharp Growth in Electric Cars, Vehicle Emissions Keep Rising
It is tempting to employ any number of puns when considering California’s transportation future: The state is at a crossroads, its policies could run out of gas, dangerous curves lie ahead. But keeping in mind that the state’s climate policies demand the wholesale electrification of transportation, here’s another: California must...
In Blue California, Why Are so Many Leftist Plans Going Under?
An unprecedented haul of tax dollars generated by a roaring economy. A governor who campaigned on a big-ticket policy agenda of long-time lefty favorites, including universal childcare and state-funded healthcare for all. A Legislature so thoroughly packed with Democrats it gives rise to a new term — "giga-majority.” Californians could be forgiven...