Education

The state’s privacy protection agency is fining PlayOn $1.1 million for violating state law. The company, which operates the ticketing service GoFan, required students and parents to share their data to access tickets for high school events.

The California Teachers Association organized to trigger a wave of negotiations and potential strikes to garner public attention and flex political muscle.

Adobe's artificial intelligence generated sexualized images in response to prompts for a 4th grade book project. The incident coincided with the release of new state guidelines to prevent harmful AI in schools.

California schools faced repeated planned power outages in 2024-2025 as Edison cut electricity to prevent wildfires, forcing closures and costly backup power solutions.

California spent $31 million last year helping students facing homelessness with emergency housing and other services through Rapid Rehousing. The program operates at most public universities and about a quarter of community colleges, helping thousands of students who are either homeless or housing insecure, such as one student who was sleeping in a garage.

California is a national leader in data privacy. Yet state law has gaps that allow companies to collect and sell students’ data.

San Diego teachers canceled their planned Feb. 26 strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the San Diego Unified School District to increase special education staffing, provide additional teacher support and stipends, and secure future pay raises pending restoration of state funding.

A recent state law lifted the statute of limitations on sex abuse lawsuits, driving a huge increase in payouts by school districts and government agencies. It has also increased insurance premiums for all agencies.

The governor tripled early childhood funding and expanded TK to all 4-year-olds. But preschools are closing, making infant care harder to find.

Local police forces get money every year from the Department of Homeland Security to assist with border patrol operations. This includes the UC San Diego Police Department, which helps monitor for smuggling along the coastline.