Legislator Card

K-12 Education

Recognizing fake news now a required subject in California schools

A new law requires K-12 schools to add media literacy to curriculum for English language arts, science, math and history-social studies. Among the lessons will be recognizing fake news.

By Carolyn Jones • November 10, 2023

California Divide

‘A cruel joke’: California father freed from prison can’t go home to family after ICE deports him

Ramon Ruelas grew up in California and served a decade in prison. Now free, he can’t live with his wife and daughter, who are U.S. citizens. Lawmakers want California to stop handing former inmates like him to ICE. Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed the bills.

By Justo Robles • November 9, 2023

Higher Education

The need for student services at community colleges has changed dramatically since the 1960s. Has state law kept up?

State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.

By Adam Echelman • October 31, 2023

Health

Despite high Black maternal death rate, California hospitals ignored training about bias in care

Black women are three times more likely than any other women to die during or immediately after pregnancy. California lawmakers passed a law in 2019 requiring hospitals to train labor and delivery staff on unconscious bias in medicine.

By Kristen Hwang • October 27, 2023

Environment

Newsom’s visit underscores electric car reality: China holds the keys to battery industry

China modeled some of its climate programs on policies first adopted by California. Now, California depends on the world’s most populous country for essential materials in its electric vehicle ambitions.

By Alejandro Lazo • October 26, 2023

College Beat

California colleges miss the deadline to offer student parents priority registration

Signed by the governor in September 2022, AB 2881 aims to identify and address the needs of student parents in California by offering them priority registration. Coordinators and advocates are optimistic the law will formalize data collection, allowing them to better serve this student population that represents 1 in 5 students nationally.

By Atmika Iyer and Briana Mendez-Padilla • October 25, 2023

Environment

Once it was hailed as a drought fix — but now California’s moving to restrict synthetic turf over health concerns

California cities can ban synthetic turf under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed. He rejected a bill to ban PFAS in fake lawns.

By Shreya Agrawal • October 18, 2023

Mental Health

California mental health agency on the hot seat as lawmakers review ‘groundbreaking’ law

A 2020 California law expanded the number of mental health conditions that insurers must cover. Now, lawmakers are reviewing whether the law is working as intended.

By Jocelyn Wiener • October 17, 2023

Environment

‘Another attempt to industrialize the coast’: California’s Central Coast residents try to halt offshore wind

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County — which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life — face a turbulent path.

By Julie Cart • October 16, 2023

Health

Families fume over Newsom’s veto of children’s hearing aid bill, call his plan ‘a nightmare’

More than 30 states require insurers to provide some level of coverage for kids’ hearing aids. California isn’t one of them, and Gov. Newsom for the second time has vetoed a bill to close that gap.

By Kristen Hwang • October 13, 2023