SACRAMENTO — California could become the first state with its own prescription drug label under a proposal that Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled Thursday in a bid to lower prices by increasing competition in the generic market. Newsom wants the nation's most populous state, home to nearly 40 million people, to...
Gov. Newsom Targets Homeless Crisis in Budget, Order
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is seeking $750 million in part to help pay rent for people facing homelessness in the most populous state's latest attempt to fight what he called a national crisis. Newsom planned to sign an executive order Wednesday creating the fund, two...
Homeless Women Who Took Over California Home Gain Support
OAKLAND — Some California lawmakers said they support a group of homeless women who have been illegally living in a vacant three-bedroom house since November, partly to protest real estate speculators who drive up housing costs in the pricey San Francisco Bay Area. Moms 4 Housing, a collective recently formed...
AP-NORC Poll: 66% Favor Endorsement Money for NCAA Athletes
As the NCAA grapples with how to provide athletes opportunities to be compensated for their fame, about two-thirds of Americans support college players being permitted to earn money for endorsements. That's according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Support for the NCAA allowing...
California’s Homelessness Crisis — and Possible Solutions — Explained
By Matt Levin and Jackie Botts, CalMatters California’s most vexing issue is also its most shameful: the large and rising number of residents who lack a safe place to call home. In a state with vast amounts of wealth, more than 150,000 of its residents sleep in shelters, cars, or...
Walters: State Supreme Court Helps Insider Dealing
One should expect the California Supreme Court to protect the integrity of governmental actions. However, on the day after Christmas, the court, by a 6-1 margin, gave government officials a gift. It decreed that the validity of municipal bond issues can be challenged only by those directly involved in the transactions...
Risks, Rewards, and Robots: The Future of Work in California
Are robots coming for California’s jobs? In today’s increasingly automated economy, that’s certainly the fear. Technology has always generated economic churn, destroying some jobs and creating others. Already advances have generated a whole new sector of “gig” employment, and deeply disrupted other workplaces, from brick-and-mortar bookstores to newspapers to travel...
Gov. Newsom Had 'Baptism by Fire' in 1st Year
SACRAMENTO — During his inaugural address last January, Gov. Gavin Newsom made only a passing reference to wildfires and never mentioned the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric. Both soon became inescapable topics. PG&E filed for bankruptcy barely three weeks after the Democratic governor was sworn in, triggering a series of...
Battle Lines Are Drawn Over Oil Drilling in California
Two announcements with implications for California’s oil industry whizzed past each other in recent weeks, revealing starkly conflicting visions for energy development. After a five-year hiatus on auctions for oil-drilling rights on federal land, Washington finalized a plan to allow them on more than 700,000 acres in 11 Central California counties. A more...
Costa Gets Feisty on Election Challenge While Home for Holiday
Jim Costa kept his calm while discussing his recent votes on issues that have gripped the country of late. He voted for impeachment, sharing his reasoning in a speech on the House floor. He celebrated legislative victories in his agricultural wheelhouse: the USMCA, and the Farm Worker Modernization Act. But, when...