Economy
California lawmakers propose fixes for ‘insurance industry in shambles’
From pushing for oversight of the FAIR Plan to providing tax breaks for premiums, California lawmakers try to fix insurance market problems.
Economy
Ryan Tate
Deputy Editor
Malena Carollo
Business Reporter
Wendy Fry
Reporter
Khari Johnson
Technology Reporter
Levi Sumagaysay
Economy Reporter
California Divide
The DMV makes millions from auctioned cars, and doesn’t tell the owners
Since 2016, the DMV has collected more than $8 million from nearly 5,300 car sales, according to a CalMatters analysis.
K-12 Education
AI chatbots can cushion the high school counselor shortage — but are they bad for students?
The more students turn to chatbots, the fewer chances they have to develop real-life relationships that can lead to jobs and later success.
Politics
Return to office: Newsom orders California state workers back four days a week
The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.
California Divide
California’s fast food council after one year: A few meetings, three staff members hired
The state’s fast food council has scarcely discussed any regulations other than another potential wage hike. Even then, it has agreed only to talk about the issue at another meeting.
Economy
California insurance commissioner meets privately with State Farm, hopes to make rate hike decision within two weeks
Ricardo Lara said he will look at information provided by State Farm before revisiting his previous decision to reject the company’s emergency rate hike.
Economy
Funding for small businesses — a big source of jobs — at risk under Trump
California’s small businesses create the bulk of jobs in the state. Trump’s funding freeze, anti-DEI push and more could jeopardize that.
Technology
Crackdown on power-guzzling data centers may soon come online in California
A spate of new bills in California and other states would protect consumers from electricity rate hikes that subsidize data centers.
Economy
Big homeowner rate hike from State Farm shot down by California regulator
In the wake of the Los Angeles fires, State Farm asked for an "emergency" premium increase of 22% on average for California homeowners. Lara today denied the request pending more information.
Economy
CalMatters’ reporting helps inspire wage theft legislation
Lawmakers are pushing potential remedies in the wake of a CalMatters investigation, which discovered that even after California victims of wage theft win their claims, only about one in seven judgments are paid.