SACRAMENTO — The new Democratic governor in the nation's most populous state ruled out a challenge to President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling the idea "crazy." California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had frequent Twitter wars with the Republican president and recently raised speculation that he might seek the presidency by...
Want to Understand Fresno Poverty? Watch This Video.
If you want to understand poverty in Fresno County and how to grow prosperity, watch the video above before reading another word. Narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, the video succinctly explains the challenges facing poor children and the teachers entrusted with giving them the education to become successful adults. Behind...
Newsom Seeks to Transform Youth Prisons
STOCKTON — Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Tuesday to change the way California's juvenile prisons are overseen, eventually closing facilities to cut what he called the "ludicrous" cost. "If we're going to get serious about changing the trajectory of the lives of these young children, I think we need to do...
Walters: The High Price We Pay for Low-Rent Housing
Cascade Village sounds like a mountain hamlet, but it’s the name of a somewhat shabby block of 74 low-rent apartments in the southern edge of Sacramento. A few days ago, Sacramento city officials announced that they will float a $25 million bond and loan the proceeds to the 55-year-old complex’s...
California Pot Taxes Lag as Illegal Market Flourishes
LOS ANGELES — Deep in Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget is a figure that says a lot about California's shaky legal marijuana market: The state is expecting a lot less cash from cannabis taxes. The Democrat's proposed spending plan, released Thursday, projects the state will bank $355 million in marijuana...
Walters: Trump, Newsom Share a Similar Problem
Gov. Gavin Newsom punctuated his inaugural address this week with several jabs at President Donald Trump, referring at one point to “the corruption and incompetence in the White House.” However, while neither man would admit it, they share a similar political problem. Having made extravagant promises to gain support from...
Newsom's First Actions as Governor Target Health Care
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom's first act as governor Monday was to propose state-funded health coverage for 138,000 young people in the country illegally and a reinstatement of a mandate that everyone buy insurance or face fines. Newsom also proposed giving subsidies to middle-class families that make too much to...
Firm Sues California Over Ban on Private Prisons
SAN DIEGO — A private prison firm that just won multibillion-dollar contracts to run federal immigration detention centers in California sued the state on Monday, claiming that a new ban on for-profit lockups in California is unconstitutional. The GEO Group, Inc., argued in the federal suit that Assembly Bill 32,...
Newsom Appoints Fresno’s Victor Salazar to Judicial Watchdog Post
Former Fresno County Clerk and longtime attorney Victor Salazar was appointed to the Commission on Judicial Performance this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Salazar, 73, brings a wealth of legal experience to the position. San Joaquin College of Law Graduate He was managing attorney at Central California Legal Services from 1998 to...