Legislator Card

At some rural schools construction projects are left undone, teaching jobs are unfilled and students who need specialized services don’t get them.

The Campus Opioid Safety Act required colleges and universities to put the power of reversing fentanyl overdoses directly into the hands of students. Some campuses are giving out the life-saving nasal spray Narcan, while others are not.

The funds would help California ports expand to handle giant wind turbines and other equipment. California's first offshore wind farms are on a fast track off Humboldt County and Morro Bay.

State lawmakers grill Cal/OSHA officials, with allegations that employers get tipped off to inspections. The chairperson of the Assembly Labor Committee is seeking an audit.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond that would build thousands of housing units and treatment beds for people with serious mental health conditions. A 2018 ballot measure that made similar promises offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

California could follow Oregon in authorizing the use of psychedelics in therapeutic settings. Growing research characterizes certain hallucinogens as helpful in treating mental illnesses, such as depression and PTSD.

Faced with a huge budget deficit, legislators are on warning not to expect bills with a high price tag to pass. But that’s not always the goal of introducing bills.

In California, it’s usually police who confine mentally ill people for involuntary 72-hour holds so they can be evaluated and treated. A pending bill would extend the so-called 5150 confinement authority to county-designated psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists and clinical counselors.

A bill would let state legislators, who say they fear for their safety, shield their property holdings from disclosure forms. But critics say that could conceal potential conflicts of interest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March ballot measure would raise billions of dollars for mental health housing and treatment facilities, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.