Too much opposition, too little time to address disputes over $3 billion in fees on utility customers for fire and climate change projects.
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Posted inEnvironment
California lawmakers propose last-minute bill providing funds for fighting wildfires
A fee added to utility bills — less than $1 per month — would be extended until 2045 if the legislation is adopted by two-thirds of both chambers.
Posted inWhatMatters
Labor vs. Uber, Lyft on Nov. ballot
Voters to decide fate of Uber, Lyft. Assembly to gather for historic budget hearing. Newsom clears places of worship for partial reopening.
Posted inWhatMatters
Achievement gap persists as test scores rise, one pesticide gets banned and one doesn’t
Achievement gap persists in California schools. A widely used pesticide is banned, while another remains. Camp Fire cleanup nears completion.
Posted inClimate Change
California’s pollution enforcers would like to save tropical forests. But at what cost?
California’s climate change enforcers are grappling with the thorniest of controversies: how to prevent the planet’s tropical forests from disappearing. The question they aren’t ready to answer—at least not yet—is what focusing on far-away forests could mean for pollution at home.
Posted inCalifornia Legislature, Education, Health, Higher Education, Inside the Capitol, K-12 Education, Politics
In housing, privacy and more, a Capitol lightning round nixes controversial bills
Some of the most controversial ideas California lawmakers were considering this year were set aside as the Legislature culled hundreds of bills in a fast-and-furious annual procedural ritual.
Posted inHousing, Inside the Capitol, Politics
State rent-gouging bill advances, but still no action on tighter rent control
A bill aimed at protecting California tenants from “egregious” rent hikes cleared a key hurdle in the state Legislature today, less than 24 hours after pro-tenant groups learned their latest try to expand tighter rent controls throughout California is flailing in the Capitol.
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers and landlords: More than a quarter of California legislators are both
A CALmatters analysis reveals that at least 30 lawmakers—more than a quarter of the California Legislature— own at least one property that generates rental income.
Posted inNewsletters, WhatMatters
The bill comes due for wildfires
Good morning, California. Local governments have set sights on taxing soda. Enter Californians for Accountability and Transparency in Government Spending, a campaign committee set up to promote a November initiative to ban local taxes and fees without approval of two-thirds of the voters. Top funder: Soda companies at $5 million-plus. Who should pay for wildfires? Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, center, […]
Posted inData Points, Housing, Multimedia
5 things a Californian should know now about rent control
One way or another, two words are likely to dominate the complicated politics of California’s housing crisis in 2018: rent control. With the Legislature set to hold a key hearing, here’s what you need to know.