California Legislature

Government boards and committees throughout California were allowed to hold meetings virtually during the pandemic. A state agency board member argues that a legislative proposal to extend those rules needs to be reverted back to its original form to ensure maximum public participation.

Calendar note: WhatMatters is taking a break from work for the Labor Day holiday and will return to your inboxes on Tuesday, Sept. 5. It looks like Aliso Canyon can ramp up operations after all. On Thursday, the state’s five-member Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to increase the capacity of the natural gas storage facility […]

Despite warnings from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office and concerns from some labor-friendly Democrats, the Senate budget committee on Wednesday approved two bills to fund new contracts for three-fourths of the state’s rank-and-file workers.   The misgivings? Extra goodies in the tentative deal for prison guards, the lack of time to review the contracts negotiated by […]

Psychedelics like mushrooms and mescaline could be decriminalized in California as advocates tout their therapeutic potential.

From Justo Robles of CalMatters’ California Divide team:  Dozens of domestic workers laid banners on the state Capitol grounds Tuesday that spelled out the words “racist” and “injustice.” Then they cleaned them up.  It was all part of a rally of several hundred domestic laborers to urge state lawmakers to pass more workplace protections. Aminta […]

California law classifies some violent crimes, such as spousal abuse, as nonviolent for punishment purposes, and the Legislature has so far refused to make changes.

The California Assembly is considering a bill that would decriminalize naturally occurring psychedelic substances, which research has increasingly shown has a variety of therapeutic benefits. A retired New York firefighter, who uses psilocybin, says first responders in particular have a lot to gain from this legislation.

The battle over LGBTQ+ students in California public schools and parental rights is heating up again — and this time Attorney General Rob Bonta is going to court. Bonta on Monday announced that he has filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education over its recent policy to require district teachers […]

Many victims of medical negligence are excluded from investigations after they file a complaint with the Medical Board of California, omitting crucial evidence from those cases. A proposed reform would require it, and address other transparency, oversight and solvency issues facing the board.

Tens of thousands of California workers have gone on strike this year to seek better wages and working conditions. As the strikes continue, unions are mounting a full-court press in the Legislature to achieve those same goals.