SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom late Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have made ethnic studies a California high school graduation requirement, citing controversy over the model curriculum. Assemblyman Jose Medina, a fellow Democrat, criticized the veto of his bill as “a failure to push back against the racial rhetoric and bullying...
Newsom Signs Law Mandating Study of Reparations for Black Americans
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law Wednesday requiring the state to develop a detailed plan for paying reparations to Black Americans. The move makes California the first to mandate a study of how it can make amends for its role in the oppression of Black people. Under the law,...
Bill to Reduce Probation Time Could Help Offenders Successfully Re-Enter Society
As states continue to grapple with fixing aspects of our criminal justice system from the top, they should keep an eye on California and a bill sitting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that looks to modify how courts handle probation in the state. Nearly a quarter of a million people...
Newsom Signs Law to Grow Mental Health Coverage
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Friday that for the first time in California defines “medical necessity," a move aimed at requiring private health insurance plans to pay for more mental health and drug addiction treatments. State and federal laws already require health insurance companies to handle...
Newsom Moves to Ban Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars in California
California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous state. The proposed rule would not ban people from owning gas-powered cars or selling them on...
Parkway Drive Motel Slated to Convert to Homeless Housing With State Grant
Motel drive, an area Fresno City Council President Miguel Arias says is an "epicenter of human and drug trafficking" is getting a partial makeover. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Fresno Housing Authority will receive over $7.6 million as part of the second round of awards for Project Homekey. According to a...
Newsom Approves Workers Comp for Employees Infected with COVID-19
California companies must warn their workers of any potential exposure to the coronavirus and must pay their employees workers compensation benefits if they get sick with the disease under two laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday. Newsom signed the laws over the objections of business groups, who have said...
Walters: Most ‘Job Killer’ Bills Bite the Dust Again
As COVID-19 slammed into California a half-year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a partial shutdown of what had been a high-flying economy to combat the deadly virus, plunging the state into its worst recession since the Great Depression. In turn, the pandemic and the recession spawned a flurry of legislative...
VP Candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, Gov. Newsom Tour Creek Fire
Update: 3:45 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15 Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom arrived at Clovis North High School at about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday. While there, they bumped elbows with American Red Cross of Central California volunteers who are helping Creek Fire evacuees. A campus gym has...
‘Not Looking for a Fight’ Say Fitness Centers Suing California Over Virus Closures
LOS ANGELES — California fitness centers have filed a lawsuit alleging Gov. Gavin Newsom's measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus unfairly target the industry and are demanding they be allowed to reopen. The California Fitness Alliance, which represents nearly 300 businesses, filed the suit in Los Angeles...