July 26, 2018

Shawn Hubler, who has served as deputy editorial page editor and writer and columnist at The Sacramento Bee, is joining CALmatters, a public interest journalism organization dedicated to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

Seattle has a lot in common with San Francisco. A thriving economy increasingly dominated by major technology companies. A deep blue electorate with a strong environmental ethos. And of course, a soaring cost of living that has made living in either city a prohibitively expensive proposition for many long-time residents. But Seattle has responded to its housing crisis much differently than its Bay Area counterpart: Seattle has built a lot more homes.

Legislators begin to tackle the complex law surrounding fire liability, without knowledge of the cause of the most devastating fire in California history. One legislator questions whether they should act without that information.

Universal health care is a big issue for California's Democratic Party but thanks to a budget "trailer bill," a decision on it can be delayed by at least three years while a new commission studies how to do it.