California Legislature

A state-appointed panel inching toward recommendations for reparations wants a new state agency to handle compensation and services to Black people.

Workers who clean houses or take care of children and the elderly are in a class by themselves; they are not covered by state or federal workplace safety regulations. The exclusion has racist origins, advocates say.

From CalMatters politics reporter Alexei Koseff: ​​For months, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have been projecting optimism in the face of a grim budget picture. At a press conference in January where he unveiled his plan to deal with a projected $22.5 billion deficit next year, Newsom assured Californians: “We are keeping our promises.” […]

Many Californians are still grappling with the hit to their wallets from the costs of, well, everything. That includes shockingly high natural gas bills, which have spiked to double the usual or more due to a cascade of issues: increased demand brought on by cold weather, tightened supply, pipeline and storage problems.  Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

California sends toxic soil to landfills in Utah and Arizona, including sites near Native American reservations. Will lawmakers step in to keep the waste in state?

During the interstate highway construction boom, urban neighborhoods were sliced apart, often isolating the homes of minorities and low-income residents. California lawmakers are exploring ways to undo some of that harm by reconnecting neighborhoods.

To get more riders on public transit, you need more service. But to fund additional service, you need more riders.  That’s the conundrum transit agencies have long encountered. The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the state’s workforce and the end of federal funds put some agencies in an even more difficult financial position — and the […]

Cannabis has been king in this rural area of northern California. But as prices plummet, communities and business owners are hurting, with no clear solutions in sight. Many blame Proposition 64 for undermining small growers.

In 2016, when California voters faced the choice of whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, they heard promises that it would help end a racist “war on drugs,” bring a violent illegal market out of the shadows and, by the way, bring in tax revenue. Gavin Newsom, then lieutenant governor and now governor, said […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom accuses the oil industry of price gouging on gasoline prices and wants to impose penalties on excess profits. But he didn't fare well in the first hearing for the proposal.