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Court to stop suspending licenses for unpaid fines

Under pressure from civil liberties groups, Contra Costa County Superior Court announced last week a moratorium on the practice of suspending driver’s licenses over unpaid fines. In March, the ACLU of Northern California and other groups urged the California Judicial Council

Uncertain CA community colleges eye tuition cuts

James Poulos May 23, 2016

Little was heard about president Barack Obama’s call, in his last State of the Union address, to make community college free around the country. But now, facing gnawing affordability problems and the prospect of weakened enrollment, many of California’s community colleges — and

San Francisco police chief out — mayor or fire chief next?

Chris Reed May 21, 2016

After a year of controversy over his officers sending racist and homophobic text messages and killing crime suspects in questionable circumstances, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr is gone, resigning at the request of Mayor Ed Lee on Thursday. The

FBI startles CA with secret courthouse surveillance

James Poulos May 19, 2016

Touching off another national controversy centered around California, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was discovered to have concealed video and audio monitoring devices around a courthouse in the San Francisco East Bay five to six years ago. “Federal agents planted

Democrats launch anti-Trump attacks on down-ticket GOP candidates

Matt Fleming May 18, 2016

The Trump effect has begun. It’s what Republicans fear and Democrats embrace: How the controversial presumptive nomination of Donald Trump as the GOP’s presidential candidate will affect races further down the ballot. Democrats are hoping to tie Trump around the necks of Republican candidates

Gov. Brown tees up permanent drought measures

James Poulos May 18, 2016

Even as California at long last eased up on drought restrictions, Gov. Brown helped ensure that policies remaining in place will continue indefinitely. “In a major shift, the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown announced [last week] plans to drop all

Caltrans releases optimistic, costly five-year plan to find thousands of lost holes

Matt Fleming May 17, 2016

Caltrans finally provided a cost estimate for its plan to find and possibly seal thousands of improperly drilled holes throughout the state, indicating the program could be completed in a few years. But the disclosure left many questions unanswered. Two years ago, Caltrans admitted

Pro-marijuana push begins in earnest

James Poulos May 15, 2016

As election day nears, California’s likely vote on recreational pot has drawn policymakers, politicians and law enforcement into an uncertain but probably decisive debate. While many Democrats have generally come to view recreational marijuana as an inevitability in the Golden

Caltrans accused of improperly dumping dead animals again

Matt Fleming May 14, 2016

After discovering work crews had dumped a bunch of dead animals in a state waterway, a state Water Code enforcer is investigating if Caltrans ever created and implemented roadkill disposal policies, which was a requirement from the last time Caltrans got in

Gov. Brown: No new spending

Matt Fleming May 13, 2016

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday repeatedly warned against new spending programs as he introduced his revised budget, heeding advice from Moody’s and others to bunker down and prepare for an eventual economic downturn. While the state’s finances have substantially improved from the