WASHINGTON — Just days ahead of a midterm election they hope will deliver them a majority, House Democrats are promising to prioritize anti-discrimination legislation that would for the first time establish widespread equal rights protections for LGBTQ individuals. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently said she would introduce the Equality Act...
More Water Will Flow to the Valley Upon Trump's Signature
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved a sprawling bill that provides for increased water storage in the San Joaquin Valley. If signed by President Donald Trump, America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 would authorize more than $6 billion in spending over 10 years for projects nationwide. Folded into the bill is Rep....
Gov. Brown Just Says No to Supervised Drug Injection Plan
SAN FRANCISCO — California Gov. Jerry Brown rejected legislation on Sunday that would have allowed San Francisco to open what could be the nation's first supervised drug injection site under a pilot program. Advocates of "safe injection" sites say the locations would save lives by preventing drug overdoses and providing...
California Is 1st State to Require Women on Corporate Boards
SACRAMENTO — California has become the first state to require publicly traded companies to include women on their boards of directors, one of several laws boosting or protecting women that Gov. Jerry Brown signed Sunday. The measure requires at least one female director on the board of each California-based public...
Sidewalk Vendors Get a Boost From Bill Signed by Brown
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill to make it easier for sidewalk vendors to operate legally in the state. It's one of dozens of bills Brown announced signing Monday, including measures to help voters ensure their mail ballots are counted and standardize balcony inspections. Brown also vetoed...
Do You Want to Pick Up Tab for PG&E's Wildfire Negligence?
SACRAMENTO — California's utility regulators would have the option of letting power companies charge their customers for some of the costs of lawsuits stemming from disastrous 2017 wildfires under legislation that will go before the Assembly and Senate this week. After weeks of meetings, a legislative conference committee advanced its...
GOP Frantically Huddles on Family Separation Crisis
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Capitol Hill frantically searched on Tuesday for ways to end the administration's policy of separating families after illegal border crossings, ahead of a visit from President Donald Trump to discuss broader immigration legislation. Top conservatives, including key Trump allies, announced they were introducing bills to stop...