October 2023

World Mental Health Day started bright and early Tuesday with Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing he has signed a key part of his overhaul of California’s mental health policy that will loosen rules about who is eligible for involuntary treatment. As CalMatters’ health reporter Jocelyn Wiener explains, under the new law, the legal definition of who […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom once pledged to implement single-payer health care but later backed away. He just signed a bill that takes a tiny step toward the holy grail of those on the political left.

Read this story in English. El gobernador Gavin Newsom anunció hoy que firmó el primero de una serie de proyectos de ley que tienen como objetivo transformar el sistema de salud mental de California. Dependiendo de a quién se le pregunte, esta transformación representa una respuesta humanitaria largamente esperada, o un preocupante retroceso en materia […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health policies allow the involuntary treatment of more Californians with severe mental illnesses. Some fear the new laws will infringe on the civil liberties of people confined against their will.

Read this story in English. Es posible que su perfume, esmalte de uñas o tinte para el cabello favoritos deba someterse a un cambio de imagen para 2027 si contiene uno de los 26 ingredientes potencialmente tóxicos que ahora están prohibidos en California.  Una nueva ley firmada por el gobernador Gavin Newsom prohibirá más de […]

A new California law will ban over two dozen chemicals from fragrances and cosmetics. It’s another first-in-the-nation law — and another instance of California following European Union regulators.

The facts of climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some California activists are creating communities for people to talk about those feelings.

In neglected areas such as South Los Angeles, the freeways that crisscross neighborhoods are choking residents with harmful pollution. A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk would extend a clean transportation program that can aid these communities.

Gov. Gavin Newsom took a day off from bills signings and vetoes on Monday.  But he unleashed such a big flood of bill decisions over the weekend — about 470 — that legislators and advocacy groups, not to mention reporters, are still catching up. Some key ones signed: Some consequential vetoes: Teacher turnover: From our […]

While many wait to see how Gov. Gavin Newsom handles hundreds of bills on his desk, others await the looming deadline for tax returns to see whether the state will face another multibillion-dollar deficit.