Progressives look to shame Gov. Brown over high rate of child poverty

When Jerry Brown returned to the governor’s office in 2011, Democrats largely accepted his argument that with revenue down and deficits high because of a deep recession, the state budget needed to be as lean as possible. But since revenue

Read More

Assembly speaker’s defense of accused harasser could haunt him

With six months to go until the gubernatorial election and the beginning of a new era in California politics, state lawmakers are prepping for one last round of pitched fights with Gov. Jerry Brown – who has for years defined Sacramento

Read More

California Supreme Court makes it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors 

On Monday, the California Supreme Court issued a major ruling on the distinction between independent contractors (IC) and employees, establishing a new test for determining classification that presumes that workers are employees and not ICs. The case, Dynamex Operations West,

Read More

Gov. Brown seeks to use budget to force community college reforms

Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to force far-reaching reforms on the California Community College system in his final state budget could lead to fireworks as the Legislature moves to adopt a 2018-19 spending plan by the June 15 deadline. Brown wants

Read More

Rent-control push surges to forefront of state housing debate

A ballot measure that would repeal California’s 1995 state law limiting what properties can be subject to rent control seems certain to be on the November ballot after proponents submitted more than 565,000 signatures to state authorities last week, far

Read More