Economy

Capitol

After public outcry, lawmakers revive California’s gutted net neutrality bill

Democratic legislators said today they’ve settled their differences on net neutrality in California, advancing bills that, if passed, would create the most far-reaching internet regulation since the federal government abandoned its Obama-era regulations.

By

Antoinette Siu

• July 5, 2018

The feet of Mr. Murphy, who has been on Skid Row for a year. Outreach workers are not sure where he came from. Photos by Dan Morain for CALmatters

Economy

A walk along Skid Row in Los Angeles—block by bleak block

Nowhere is California's homelessness crisis more evident than here, where some 2,000 people hunker down for the night on sleeping pads, cardboard, or nothing.

By

Dan Morain

• June 27, 2018

Economy

Check-up: How health care fares in California’s new spending plan

California has been a national leader in the effort to expand health care coverage, but some advocates say this year’s state budget marks a step backward in the quest to reduce and ultimately eliminate the number of uninsured people.

By

Antoinette Siu

• June 27, 2018

Housing

Homeless in California—what the data reveals

As California struggles to confront a crisis of homelessness, these numbers help illuminate the depth and breadth of the problem.

By

Victoria Cabales

• June 27, 2018

Economy

Watch us break down California’s new budget in under 2 minutes

The state's new budget weighs in at a record-setting $201 billion. Here are the highlights.

By

Byrhonda Lyons

• June 27, 2018

Economy

California moves closer to its own sweeping net neutrality rule —will it save the open internet?

With just 11 days to go until the federal government intends to roll back net neutrality, California’s Senate has stepped into the void by advancing a bill that aims to maintain equal internet access for all its citizens.

By

Antoinette Siu

• May 31, 2018

Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk plays ball with her son Owen outside their San Diego apartment, May 8, 2018.

Economy

California’s high rent leaves many one crisis away from financial ruin

The state’s notoriously high housing costs are gobbling up paychecks, leaving many teetering on the brink of financial disaster.

By

Amita Sharma, KPBS

• May 29, 2018

Economy

California could cut your high sales tax if it taxed business services. Why that won’t happen—yet

Some California lawmakers want to create a new business services tax, which they say would allow the state to cut California’s high sales tax to consumers and pull the state’s antiquated tax code into the 21st century. Here's why it's a long shot—getting more attention than ever before.

By

Antoinette Siu

• May 22, 2018

Economy

An ungiddy governor proposes stashing most of state’s surplus—and spending on one-time expenses

Nothing good lasts forever. That was the familiar message reverberating from Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday as he unveiled his updated version of the 2018-19 state budget—his 16th budget in his final term as governor.

By

Antoinette Siu

• May 11, 2018

Economy

The only city in California to solve veteran homelessness is on a mission to go bigger

There are around 40,000 homeless veterans in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More than 11,000 of them live in California.

By

Amita Sharma, KPBS

• May 10, 2018