California Legislature

As legislation to outlaw the sale of flavored-tobacco products flounders in the California Legislature, health advocates blame the influence the tobacco industry has with key state lawmakers. Vaping has skyrocketed among middle and high schoolers, many of whom are attracted by the sweet flavors. E-cigarette manufacturers such as Juul Labs in San Francisco say their products are intended only for adults and help them quit traditional cigarettes.

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.

Loans of less than $10,000 with rates of over 100% have swelled to nearly one-third of California's non-bank consumer lending market. Consumer advocates say that lenders are profiting off of borrowers’ desperation or lack of financial sophistication, and often make a bad situation worse. The lenders say the charge up to 200% to cover the risks they incur. The Legislature is considering a bill to cap the interest rate for such "small dollar" loans.

Bill aims to expand rights of those injured in e-scooter accidents, Assembly enacts rule to thwart legislation, first partner lobbies for First 5

Democrats who lead legislative committees are using a powerful new tool to kill bills before they even get a vote. The trick? Simply doing nothing.

Last-minute changes to a law enforcement-backed bill shift the political landscape in California’s debate over how to curb police shootings.

The first episode looks back at the decade since police shot and killed Oscar Grant and the momentum created by last year’s death of Stephon Clark.

Former U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez loaned state Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva $430,000 to buy a house in Orange County—an arrangement that some legal experts labeled unusual, but that both politicians said was not improper and resulted from their friendship.

California legislation sparks a broader debate over how to advance equality for women in male-dominated sports.