Cities have been ground zero in California’s coronavirus response — with many initiating shelter-in-place orders, organizing emergency housing for homeless people and supporting health and essential workers. But even before restrictions get lifted, mayors, managers and city councils are being tested in a new way: pandemic-induced budget deficits. Already, unemployment is projected to be higher than […]
California
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How California is Responding to the Coronavirus (Video)
As more Californians test positive for the novel coronavirus, state health officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom are trying to control the outbreak. The U. S. response to the problem got off to a rocky start. Faulty tests and a shortage of test kits kept many people from being diagnosed. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tested […]
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Governor Looks to Get CA into the Rx Business
In a bold strategy to drive down prescription drug prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California become the first state in the nation to establish its own generic drug label, making those medications available at an affordable price to the state’s 40 million residents. The proposal, part of the new state budget Newsom sent […]
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New Laws with New Protections Ring in the New Year
With the new year come new laws and 2020 has a bevy of changes going into effect on everything from California’s minimum wage and the classification of independent contractors to protections for nursing mothers and a ban on smoking at state parks and beaches. Here’s a glance at a few of the ones that may […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
State Agency Recommends Cannabis Tax Overhaul
When it comes to California’s cannabis tax system, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office just sent a crystal clear message to the state Legislature: You’re doing it all wrong. In a long-awaited bombshell report released last week, the LAO recommended a major overhaul of the current system, which it described as overly complex and burdensome. But […]
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McGuire: Judge’s Tax Return Law Ruling ‘Perplexing, Premature and Unneccesary’
A federal judge today granted a temporary injunction to block California’s recently signed legislation that requires presidential and gubernatorial candidates to release their tax returns to appear on the state’s primary ballot. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. said a final ruling in the case would […]
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Charter Schools, Unions Call a Truce in an Epic Battle as Newsom Brokers a Deal
Gov. Gavin Newsom brokered an agreement Wednesday on a high-profile charter-school regulation proposal at the center of this year’s contentious battle between teachers unions and charter advocates, removing a key hurdle for its passage this session. The compromise on Assembly Bill 1505 comes after months of lobbying by the state’s two most influential education interest […]
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UPDATE: Republican Party, Trump Take on Golden State Over Tax Returns
UPDATE: Following in the footsteps of Judicial Watch, President Donald Trump and his campaign and the Republican state and national parties filed two separate lawsuits today over the tax return law recently signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Each case alleges California’s move to make releasing a candidate’s tax returns a prerequisite to being placed […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
The Cannabis Cup Runneth Over
Seriously, though, California has way too much weed. I mean, even if you ignore all the black market stuff out there, the Golden State just has too much weed, and that’s even before that 147-acre monstrocity in Santa Barbara County comes online. Vessel Logistics, a San Francisco-based processor, manufacturer and wholesaler, recently released a 16-page […]
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How Powerful Lawmakers Kill California Bills Without a Peep
Gun control, school spending, curbs on greenhouse gases: With Democrats holding more power at the Capitol than they’ve had since the 19th century, California’s legislative pipeline is full this year with big, blue-state ideas. In theory, no Democrat’s bill should be left behind. But that’s not what’s happening, and the reason is roiling both sides […]
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California, 15 Other States Sue Trump Over ‘Manufactured’ Crisis
Sixteen states, including California, are suing the Trump administration over the border national emergency declaration, filing a complaint Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The states are alleging that Trump’s move is “unlawful and unconstitutional” and based on a “manufactured ‘crisis’” despite evidence that unlawful border entries are at a […]
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Find Yourself in the California Legislature — Or Not
There are (still) more white men named James or Jim in the California Legislature than African-American and Asian-American women combined. Throw in some white Robs, Bobs and Roberts, and you have a pretty sizable “JimBob” caucus with a membership larger than the number of Republican women, openly gay or lesbian legislators, or women from any […]