Blog

New proposal would provide banking access for cannabis industry

Four months after a high-profile effort to find a way to provide California’s legal marijuana industry with access to financial services ended in failure, state Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, and state Treasurer Fiona Ma are back with a new

Bill blocking ‘rent gouging’ draws buzz in Capitol

Chris Reed March 19, 2019

Less than six months after voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have gutted a 1995 state law banning new types of rent control on all single-family homes and all rent control on apartments or condos built after the

Court ruling praised by both sides of pension debate

Chris Reed March 11, 2019

For the second time in two years, the California Supreme Court has released a ruling on a large state issue that analysts say creates new uncertainty going forward. Last week, the court issued its long-awaited decision in a court case

5 bills target consumption of sugary drinks

Chris Reed March 1, 2019

The California Legislature’s determination to lessen the amount of sugary drinks consumed by state residents may never have been greater than now – at least if the metric used is the number of bills introduced. This session, five will be taken

Legal cannabis industry continues to struggle in California

Chris Reed February 26, 2019

The drumbeat of disappointment over the slow start of legal marijuana in California keeps building with many dispensary owners, growers and local and state elected officials bewailing the robust health of the illegal cannabis black market. Last week, state officials

California Attorney General Xavier Beccera faces criticism from criminal justice reformers

Chris Reed February 25, 2019

Another Democratic state attorney general is facing sharp criticism from activists for allegedly getting in the way of criminal justice reform and showing bad faith while doing so. Former Rep. Xavier Becerra (pictured), D-Los Angeles, was appointed in 2016 by

Community-choice local energy programs keep expanding

Chris Reed February 21, 2019

Community-choice energy programs – in which a local government or coalitions of local governments procure electricity and use the infrastructure of existing utilities to distribute it – are growing in popularity across California. Proponents say government control will lead to cheaper utility

Despite budget crisis, Oakland Unified may give teachers 12% raise

Chris Reed February 15, 2019

With 95 percent of Oakland Unified teachers already having approved a strike that appears likely to begin Tuesday, the school district could face weeks of turmoil – unless, like Los Angeles Unified leaders did last month, Oakland Unified agrees to give

Housing lawsuits pit the state vs. Huntington Beach

Chris Reed January 31, 2019

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

As bankruptcy looms, PG&E gets both very good and very bad news

Chris Reed January 28, 2019

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