California Voices

A nationwide recall of more than 362,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving software fell short on several key areas. One of the company's biggest critics is calling on California leaders to take additional measures to guarantee safety.

Women of color in California experience some of the worst social inequalities, especially when it comes to health care. A UC Davis student argues that universal coverage would help address disparities causing higher infant mortality rates and pregnancy-related deaths.

California was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, but Tulare Lake disappeared as water was diverted to irrigate crops. This year, however, the lake will once again re-emerge.

A sizeable coalition has called for California's water regulator to take emergency measures to protect Mono Lake and suspend diversions to Los Angeles. The recent controversy offers a snapshot of how California struggles with longstanding water rights as drought periods persist.

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank struck California's economically important high-tech industry while it was already facing difficult headwinds. The question is whether the bank’s failure is a harbinger of Silicon Valley’s decline.

Estimates suggest it will cost California at least $150 billion to fully transition to zero emission vehicles. Had Proposition 30 passed last year, the state would have narrowed the gap. Now it falls on state leaders to figure out how to pay for the transition as climate change intensifies and many goals seem harder to reach.

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would reform how disclosure disputes under the Public Records Act are settled. Attorneys who work with public agencies say reforms should consider how the law can sometimes be misused.

Six years ago while running for governor, Gavin Newsom pledged an all-out effort to build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. As that date nears, only a small fraction of that goal has materialized despite dozens of new laws and increased pressure on local governments.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to tweak the state's program for improving educational outcomes of at-risk students, but his proposal doesn't fix its fundamental flaws.

Southern California could reassert itself as the political epicenter of California after Senator Dianne Feinstein retires next year. The congressional candidates vying to succeed her, and the vacancies their campaigns have created, provide opportunities for officeholders who are younger, more liberal and more rooted in Southern California.