SACRAMENTO — California prosecutors announced Wednesday they will seek the death penalty if they convict the man suspected of being the notorious "Golden State Killer" who eluded capture for decades. The move comes less than a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on executing any of the 737...
Newsom Meets Salvadorans Who Tried to Reach US
PANCHIMALCO, El Salvador — David Escobar Fuentes fled El Salvador because gangs were extorting his ranching family, while Bryon Melgar Menjivar wanted to escape the pressure to join a gang that started when he was 15. Sandra Monroy headed north for a good job. They told Gov. Gavin Newsom their...
Newsom Says His El Salvador Trip a Counter to Trump
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday his visit to El Salvador serves as a counter-narrative to what he called President Donald Trump's demoralizing and toxic rhetoric about Central American migrants. "Right now you have a president that talks down to people, talks past them, demoralizing folks...
Troubled PG&E Names New Chief Executive, Board
SACRAMENTO — The troubled California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. named a new chief executive and board members Wednesday amid a bankruptcy proceeding. The San Francisco-based utility chose Bill Johnson as its chief executive officer and president and named 10 new board members, including former U.S. ambassadors and members...
Gov. Newsom Criticizes PG&E’s Plan for New Board
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. plans to remake its board of directors with hedge fund financiers and people who have little experience in utility operations and safety, and he urged the utility's leader to change course. "With this move, PG&E would...
Audit Finds Poor Planning Led to California DMV Issues
SACRAMENTO — California's Department of Motor Vehicles didn't properly prepare for customers lining up to get new federally approved drivers' licenses, leading to hours-long wait times last year, state auditors said Wednesday. But the long lines that angered motorists and state lawmakers alike merely highlighted significant underlying weaknesses including outdated...
Walters: Poll Underscores California’s Housing Crisis
Two months ago, when the Public Policy Institute of California asked the state’s residents to name the top issues that newly inaugurated Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature should address, immigration was No. 1. Jobs and environmental issues followed, with “homelessness” a distant fourth, cited by just 6 percent of...
California Sells Another $600M in Bonds for High-Speed Rail
SACRAMENTO — California sold $600 million in bonds Tuesday to help pay for building high-speed rail even as lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledge challenges to completing the project. The bond money is a key source of funding for the troubled rail system, which has been beset by cost overruns...
Newsom Pushes for Up to $10 Monthly Tap Tax to Clean Water
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to charge California water customers up to $10 per month to help clean up contaminated water in low-income and rural areas, but he will face resistance from some legislative Democrats hesitant to impose new taxes. The Democratic governor says up to 1 million California...
California Editorial Roundup: Police Transparency, Rent Control, Death Penalty
Santa Cruz Sentinel (March 19) on police being able to build trust by backing transparency reforms: Recent stories published in this newspaper have uncovered cases of police misconduct that resulted in officers losing their jobs. These reports were part of an effort undertaken by many California newspapers, including this one,...