Even with the process controlled entirely by Democrats, a certain degree of tension is wired into the annual ritual of crafting a state budget in Sacramento. The spending plan, after all, is a powerful opportunity for the governor and each house of the Legislature to demonstrate their priorities in caring...
California Deal for Protective Masks Wins Federal Approval
SACRAMENTO — Millions of protective masks will soon be on their way to California after the manufacturer paid by the state to make them finally won U.S. federal certification, the governor's office announced Monday. It came more than a month after the masks had originally been set to start arriving....
California Legislative Leaders Back State 'Sleeper Hold' Ban
SACRAMENTO — California's Assembly speaker and other key lawmakers on Monday backed making it illegal statewide for police to use a type of neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain, a proposal that appears to go beyond any other state. Major law enforcement groups did not...
Will Newsom Cling to Dinosaur Plan or See Our Pandemic-Shaped Future?
Gov. Gavin Newsom likely knows in his gut how devastating Senate Bill 743 will be to California's housing shortage and the wealth gap dividing our coastal and interior communities. And, I am certain that the governor knows that trends accelerate in a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. Listen to...
California Gyms, Schools and Bars Can Reopen Next Week
SACRAMENTO — California will allow schools, day camps, bars, gyms, campgrounds and professional sports to begin reopening with modifications starting next Friday. The state will release guidance later Friday for counties to follow to reopen a broad range of businesses that have been closed since mid-March because of concerns about...
Newsom Orders End to 'Carotid Hold' Training
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the state police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a hold that can block the flow of blood to the brain. It is Newsom's first action following two weeks of protests across the country after the death of George Floyd....
California Lawmakers Budget Plan Rejects Newsom's Cuts to Public Schools, Healthcare
SACRAMENTO — California's Legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected billions of dollars in budget cuts to public schools and health care services that Gov. Gavin Newsom had proposed, setting up a fight with the governor over how to close the state's estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit. Flush with cash just six...
California Senate Plan Would Reject Most of Governor’s Cuts
SACRAMENTO — The California Senate's plan to make up the state's estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit rejects Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed cuts to public education and health care programs — and instead takes more money from reserves and delays billions of dollars in payments to school districts. The Senate's plan,...
Law Pushed by Democrats Will Force You Into Buses, Van Pools, and High Rises
There is growing bipartisan opposition to a law bearing down on all Californians on July 1 that will bring “economic devastation” in the words of one Central Valley state senator. The law attempts to force new home buyers out of cars, and into buses, vanpools, mass transit, and high-rise buildings...
California to Spend $1.8 Billion More on Virus Response
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday took an extra $1.8 billion from the state's dwindling coffers to pay for more protective gear and extra hospital beds to aid the state's response to the new coronavirus. Newsom expects the federal government will reimburse the state for 75% of that spending....