May 19, 2025

Many people in California prisons and jails work for less than $1 an hour. Lawmakers are advancing two bills that could lead to wage increases for some of them.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to extend California's landmark cap and trade program through 2045. But earmarking half of this year's funds to the beleaguered rail project and Cal Fire would leave too little for other climate projects, critics say.

Newsom's Medi-Cal budget plan would shift money for voter-approved increases in doctors' pay and reproductive care to cover other expenses. The cost of the low-income health insurance program has been growing rapidly.

As lawmakers rush through thousands of bills in Sacramento and make decisions in secret, regular Californians are often silenced.

California should build a public catastrophe model that would help regulators, insurers and consumers assess wildfire risk and future losses.