Millions of Californians face an unprecedented increase in natural disasters brought about climate change with an accompanying increase in risk. Unless. Imagine if everyone is prepared in advance of an emergency, and we all know what to do and where to go to keep safe. Imagine if every Californian in...
Walters: New State Budget Has Some Big Caveats
California’s political leaders, Democrats all, are touting a new state budget that expands spending on services for the state’s poor while building reserves. That’s true, as far as it goes. However, there are some very big caveats in the $213 billion 2019-20 budget, the first by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The...
As Newsom Rethinks Juvenile Justice, California Reconsiders Prison for Kids
As for most high school students, commencement day was big for Osvaldo Moreno. “This is a proud moment for me,” he beamed on a recent June weekend, and not just because he was the first to finish school among six — soon to be seven — children in his family....
In California, People Can Ensure Fair Elections. Let's Get Started.
Headlines across the country have detailed Supreme Court actions regarding various state gerrymandering scandals, the politicizing the Census, and attempts by some states to create new ways to draw district lines after receiving 2020 Census data. California was not a part of any of those stories. More than a decade...
911 Upgrade Could Cost Californians Despite Budget Surplus
SACRAMENTO — A $214.8 billion budget approved Thursday by California lawmakers would upgrade the state's aging 911 system following the most devastating wildfire season in state history and help middle class families pay their monthly health insurance premiums. To fund those changes, however, lawmakers want to impose a new monthly...
Soul-Crushing Cost of College in California, Explained
It’s not your grandparents’ — or even your parents ’— higher-ed system. A young Californian of the Baby Boomer generation, bolstered by the post-war economic boom and the state’s investment in public higher education, could often emerge from college with little to no debt and a clear path to a...
California May Take Bold Step to Insure Undocumented. Too Pricey or About Time?
As California moves closer than ever to offering free health care to low-income, undocumented adults — at a potential cost of $1 billion — battle lines are being drawn about who should benefit and who ultimately will pay the price. On the surface, the arguments are familiar, with supporters insisting...
Jessica Biel Not Against Vaccinations, Just Against California Bill
LOS ANGELES — Actress Jessica Biel says she's not opposed to vaccinations, but she does not support a bill in California that would limit medical exemptions. The 37-year-old has drawn criticism after appearing this week in Sacramento with vaccination skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to express concerns about Senate Bill...
California Lawmakers OK $213 Billion Budget. Here's What's Inside.
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers on Thursday approved a $214.8 billion operating budget, sending the plan to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk with a focus on expanding access to health insurance while spending billions of new money on homelessness and housing. Newsom will have 12 days to review the bill and is...
Twin Towers, Pentagon Replicas Planned for 9-11 Memorial in Clovis
Work begins Thursday on an expansion of the California 9-11 Memorial in Clovis that will include scaled replicas of the Twin Towers and Pentagon, a bronze statue of first responders, and a water feature representing design elements of the National 9-11 Memorial in New York. In addition, there will be...