When California voters legalized marijuana for recreational use in November 2016, it was also a victory for Gavin Newsom, who spent months traveling the state as the face of the campaign. At an election night party at a San Francisco nightclub, the then-lieutenant governor celebrated this “point of pride,” telling attendees that California had sent […]
California
Posted inNews (NCJ)
McGuire Named State Senate Majority Leader
North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire has a new title today — majority leader —which moves him up the Capitol ladder to the rung of second highest ranking member of the upper house of California’s Legislature. He was named to the post by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. “With bold leadership along with the […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Amid Low COVID Vaccine Rates, More California Children Hospitalized in Omicron Surge
COVID-19 hospitalizations among California’s children — especially those too young to go to school — are the highest they have been since the pandemic began. Chalk it up to the highly contagious Omicron variant, kids exposed during in-person instruction at school and other public places, and infants and preschoolers being ineligible for vaccination. The state […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Here’s What’s Changed as California’s New COVID Workplace Rules Go into Effect
As COVID-19 case rates in California have jumped to their highest levels yet — more than six times the peak of the delta variant wave — updated workplace rules kicked in last week to better help protect workers vaccinated against COVID-19. The revised rules come from the California Division of Safety and Health — also […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Free Tests? As COVID Surges, Rapid Results Cost Up to $300
When Rebecca Santucci of Lakewood learned that her sister, Stacy, may have been exposed to COVID-19, she set out to look for a rapid test. She needed to know quickly whether their 88-year-old father was at risk. Pharmacies had been wiped out of home test kits, and testing clinics were booked solid for at least […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Will COVID Sick Leave Return to California?
Labor unions and their Democratic allies in the Legislature want to bring back extra paid sick leave for COVID-19. Gov. Gavin Newsom is also proposing to revive supplemental leave in his budget. But as with so much else in the pandemic, it’s not a simple proposition. There’s opposition from powerful business groups. And key details […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Newsom Stops Short of Single-Payer Healthcare
Don’t ask Gov. Gavin Newsom about Democratic lawmakers’ proposal to create a state-funded single-payer health care system — he hasn’t read it. “I have not had the opportunity to review that plan, and no one has presented it to me,” Newsom said Monday while unveiling his record-high $286.4 billion budget proposal — which includes an […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Empower Workers or Government Overreach? California’s Fast Food Bill Tests Labor Laws
Amid growing awareness of inequality and jobs that don’t pay enough to cover child care and housing, California is considering a radical proposal: Allow the state to negotiate wages, hours and work conditions for an entire industry. Proponents in the state Legislature say one solution to inequality is to empower workers to negotiate through unions, […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Unboosted: California COVID-19 Booster Rate Falls Below 40% in Most Counties
Hospitals are at capacity. COVID-19 infections are at record highs. Testing lines stretch for hours. Yet even as the omicron variant batters the state, only 38 percent of vaccinated Californians have gotten a booster shot. As with initial vaccinations, acceptance of the booster shot has varied throughout California: Counties in the far north and rural […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
No, California’s Drought Isn’t Over. Here’s Why.
In a clear sign that the drought persists, California this week adopted new emergency regulations aimed at stopping residents from wasting the state’s precious water. The rules ban practices such as hosing down sidewalks and driveways with drinking water, washing cars without a shutoff nozzle on the hose and irrigating lawns and gardens too soon […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
The California Legislature is back: What to expect in 2022
Another coronavirus variant spreading like wildfire, and another huge state budget surplus: In some ways, 2022 is off to a similar start as 2021. That could carry over to the state Legislature’s new session that started Monday. In addition to the pandemic and surplus, California is dealing with some of the same big issues it […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Unseen and Unsafe: ‘Deadnamed’ Students Explain Why a New California Law Matters
Jamie Marquis can’t count the number of times they’ve been called the wrong name. A junior psychology major at the University of California, Davis, who identifies as non-binary, they changed their name several years ago. But since then they’ve struggled to get that name even on basic educational records, instead of their name assigned at […]