Unions for California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire firefighters are asking the state for a new retirement option that would complement their CalPERS pensions. It might reduce some pension-related payroll costs to the state.
Signing up for substance use disorder treatment in California prisons involves taking more frequent drug tests. The results, which are prone to error, can set back a prisoner's chance for freedom.
Celinda Gonzales of the Yurok Tribe worked to prevent suicides among Native Americans after experiencing loss in her family. She "was a friend to many," the tribe said.
California law enforcement agencies seize about 11,000 ghost guns every year. The state now is suing websites that help people manufacture untraceable firearms.
The California Senate passed a bill that would make it easier to sue federal officers over civil rights violations. Recent shootings of civilians by immigration agents in Minnesota lent urgency to the measure, one of several targeting ICE.
Homicides in California surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, killings are down to historic lows in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and many other cities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2025 announced the closure of another prison, a shutdown that's possible because the state is incarcerating far fewer people than it did just a decade ago.