Toni Atkins

Combat climate change, or clean up the water? Legislators chose to dip into a greenhouse gas fund to fight California’s drinking water problem. The move alarmed environmentalists and legislators on both sides of the aisle — but it could soon become the norm.

As the Capitol passes the halfway point for making new laws this year, the progressive policies that are advancing amount to less of a torrent than a trickle.

With an expected Senate special election victory in June, the ranks of female political role models will inch higher at the Capitol and an even broader array of issues may gain attention. Still, when combined with the 2018 electoral successes, women will comprise fewer than one-third of the 120-member Legislature.

Some legislators shouted. Others choked back tears. But after an hour and a half of speeches, the California Assembly passed what would be the nation's strictest use-of-force standards in the country by an overwhelming margin.

A historic deal to reduce police shootings will give California one of the nation's highest lethal force standards. Key will be defining 'necessary force.'

California isn’t as prepared as it may seem for the next recession. And when the next pullback hits, the state may have to fight off red ink without a historically crucial ally: Washington, D.C.

Democratic leaders at the state Capitol have pointedly cautioned against broad tax increases on working families. Whether their troops and the governor have gotten the memo, though, isn't clear.

Turns out the nonbinary gender law impacts everyone who's a teen driver. A deal on a police shooting bill dissolves. A 2020 poll. And CA's privacy law.

The California law granting a nonbinary gender designation will raise car insurance rates for teen girls and lower them for boys.

Civil rights advocates and law enforcement lobbyists have been negotiating behind the scenes with key lawmakers, and legislation is expected to take shape soon. It will likely spur an emotional debate in the state Capitol.