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Northern California fires may hammer tourism, add to housing crisis
The deadly and massively destructive wildfires now in their second week of ravaging Northern California’s wine country are likely to have lengthy negative effects on the region’s economy. But it could also exacerbate perhaps its most pressing social problem – housing
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Internal ‘chaos’ adds to rough year for bullet-train agency
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s rough year continues with the departure of another top executive at the agency overseeing the state’s $64 billion bullet-train project. Jon Tapping, the agency’s director of risk management since 2012, is leaving, the Los Angeles
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Gov. Brown signs major bills, including ones that expand workplace benefits
SACRAMENTO – In his veto message of two bills that would have banned smoking at California state parks and beaches, Gov. Jerry Brown argued that there must be “some limit to the coercive power of government.” Nevertheless, in a sea
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After Feinstein announces run for re-election, progressives push for a primary challenger
Just hours after U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced she was running for re-election, progressives in the state called for a primary challenge to the long-serving Democrat. For example, Bay Area Congressman Ro Khanna, D-Calif., reportedly asked Rep. Barbara Lee,
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CalPERS critic makes runoff for CalPERS board
The underfunded California Public Employees’ Retirement System faces daunting challenges in coming years, with local governments increasingly vocal about not being able to afford the ever-growing cost of their CalPERS-managed pension programs, as CalWatchdog reported July 20. The nation’s largest
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Officials wrestle with ways to boost California’s voter turnout
SACRAMENTO – Does California have a voter turnout problem? The state’s voter-turnout rates hit the skids in the 2014 election cycles, with only 25 percent of registered voters casting a ballot in the June primary and only 42 percent voting
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With move to ‘Super Tuesday,’ California looks to increase influence on presidential primary
In an effort to bolster its relevance during the next presidential election, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a new law moving California’s primary from June to early March. A March primary gives the Golden State an opportunity to be political
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Homelessness surging among California college students
Reporting from across California indicates that more college students are homeless than at any point in state history. While hard statistics are in short supply, surveys suggest the problem is so severe that the Golden State has far more than
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California attorney general rebuked for stacking deck against fuel tax repeal
Continuing a longstanding bipartisan tradition, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra came under fire in July for ballot measure language considered to be grossly prejudicial by the measure’s proponents. And it didn’t take long for a state judge to agree with
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