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Housing lawsuits pit the state vs. Huntington Beach
The city of Huntington Beach and the state government are suing each other over the state’s attempts to require that local governments step up housing construction. Besides affecting the housing crisis that Gov. Gavin Newsom calls an “existential” threat to
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Studies undercut Gov. Newsom’s claims on benefits of full-time kindergarten
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2019-20 budget includes $750 million in new funding to help school districts shift from part-time to full-day kindergarten. Presently, 30 percent of districts only offer part-time kindergarten, as is allowed under state law, which provides such
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As bankruptcy looms, PG&E gets both very good and very bad news
Officials at bankruptcy-bound Pacific Gas & Electric got their best news in years when a state investigation released last week concluded that the 2017 Tubbs fire in Northern California that killed 22 people was the fault of a malfunctioning generator
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Cannabis delivery in California headed toward legal battle
In 2016, many California police chiefs and sheriffs opposed to legalized recreational marijuana use were placated by a provision in Proposition 64 that said local governments would have the right to block recreational sales. The Ballotpedia overview of Proposition 64
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Gov. Newsom’s budget shows pension fixes failed
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to use some of the state’s budget surplus to pay down unfunded liabilities in the state’s two giant government employee pension funds drew praise from an unexpected source – the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which otherwise had
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Despite record surplus, Gov. Newsom wants new water, phone taxes
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s has called for a first-ever water tax and an added fee on phone bills at a time when the state is enjoying what recently departed state Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor called “extraordinary” budget health. Newsom said last
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Strike or no strike, L.A. Unified in desperate financial shape
Leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District, by far California’s largest school district, are struggling to head off a teachers’ strike that a state judge ruled Thursday can begin Monday. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which represents 35,000 teachers,
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Gavin Newsom will face daunting questions on bullet train
When Gavin Newsom is sworn in as California governor on Jan. 7, he’s already indicated he will take criticisms of the state’s troubled $77 billion high-speed rail project seriously. That’s in sharp contrast to outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown, who described
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Cheap illegal cannabis sharply undercutting legal pot industry
California’s first year with legal recreational sales of marijuana is wrapping up with a series of downbeat reports on a new industry struggling to find its footing. An Associated Press analysis posted Sunday said estimated legal sales of cannabis would total
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