February 4, 2026

Leaders from the AFL-CIO, representing 2.3 million nationwide members, say Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to focus on the technology’s harms to win support for his presidential run.

One reason: Higher-income, high-achieving kids often aren't in the testing pool. They attend private schools or their parents opt them out of state tests.

The Unruh Civil Rights Act provides the fundamental protection for equal access to health care regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, experts say. The state has not acted to uphold those protections, transgender rights groups claim.

A bill to close a loophole in a landmark housing law to make it clear which cities are affected has Democratic lawmakers divided again about the state’s role in telling cities where to build.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas wants lawmakers to assess the effectiveness of state laws as his new approach to accountability. But legislators get to pick which laws get the scrutiny and details remain scant.

Will Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's expected to run for president, seek to satisfy Silicon Valley and risk angering organized labor?