July 9, 2026

Students walk up and down a wide outdoor staircase on a college campus lined with trees, while one student in dark athletic clothing walks alone in the foreground.

Higher Education

Newsom’s final budget sends more than a billion dollars to University of California, Cal State

Since Gavin Newsom became governor, state support for California’s public universities has grown by 50%.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn • July 9, 2026

Several individuals wearing protective gear and helmets work together to dig a firebreak in a forested area. Flames burn nearby, casting an orange glow on the scene, as smoke rises through the trees.

Digital Democracy

New police and firefighters perks sail through Legislature. Will Newsom sign them?

California police and fire unions are backing bills that would create new retirement benefits or raise pay. Lawmakers approved them overwhelmingly.

By Adam Ashton • July 9, 2026

Students sit at desks in a sunlit classroom, facing a whiteboard covered with posters and math diagrams. A boy in a yellow shirt is in the foreground, mid-gesture, while a row of blue bins filled with composition notebooks lines the right side of the room under partially closed blinds.

Commentary

Does crowning California’s governor the education czar mean academic results will improve?

Lawmakers just passed a bill that would let the next governor pick the state's schools chief, in place of the state school leader voters elect.

By Dan Walters • July 9, 2026

A voter hands paperwork to an election worker seated at a check-in table inside a polling place while another voter fills out paperwork in the foreground.

Commentary

California ponders a fundamental question: Should voting be easier or harder?

This year offers a series of opportunities for Californians to consider their voting principles and whether they should enlarge or constrain participation.

By Jim Newton • July 9, 2026

A person wearing a red shirt and a headset sits in front of a desk and types into a keyboard, in a dimly lit room with a window overlooking a residential street.

Technology

Kaiser nurses say technology is making their jobs — and patient care — worse

Call center nurses at the health giant said workplace surveillance tools and AI prioritize speed and cost savings over quality and safety.

By Khari Johnson • July 9, 2026

A blue wheelchair accessibility symbol is painted on an asphalt parking space beside blue striped access aisles marking an accessible parking area.

Politics

Most California senators supported this ADA lawsuit bill. It died anyway

Sen. Roger Niello's proposal to give businesses more time to fix ADA violations before facing lawsuits won overwhelming Senate support. But it died without an Assembly hearing after judiciary chair Ash Kalra rejected the bill in favor of a competing approach.

By Kate Wolffe • July 9, 2026