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After rash of overdoses, Senate advances bill to punish Fentanyl traffickers

A Senate panel unanimously advanced a bill on Tuesday that would significantly increase the penalties for possession of large quantities of the powerful opioid Fentanyl, a drug that has led to a wave of overdoses in Sacramento recently. Fentanyl, which is reported to

Critics demand accountability for education-funding tax prior to extension vote

Matt Fleming April 5, 2016

Proponents of a 12-year extension of a temporary tax used to bolster education funding may ask voters to consider the measure prior to a full vetting, with critics demanding accountability. By law, the state Controller’s office is supposed to audit Proposition 30’s

High-Speed Rail Authority wins time in case brought by landowners

Kathy Hamilton April 2, 2016

A judge has denied a claim filed by opponents of California’s high-speed rail project, saying that while they raised compelling questions about the project’s viability, the project has not progressed enough for the court to evaluate their claims. The March

Department of Justice drops suit against Apple

James Poulos April 1, 2016

The ongoing legal struggle between Apple and the Department of Justice shifted dramatically as federal officials dropped their effort to force the Cupertino tech giant to grant access to the iPhone used by Syed Farook, the terrorist who perpetrated the San

Lawmakers OK state-wide $15 minimum wage

Matt Fleming March 31, 2016

The Legislature passed it, the governor said he’ll sign it, and so a $15-per-hour minimum wage is all but a done deal. The measure, which raises the wage from $10 per hour incrementally until 2022 and 2023 (depending on the

Transparency activists seek CA sunshine

James Poulos March 31, 2016

National Sunshine Week — an effort to increase and encourage government transparency — has come and gone in California while multiple types of state secrecy continue to draw fire from lawmakers and citizens. Budgeting has topped the list of recent complaints. “The

Proposed pilot program could replace Caltrans with counties

Matt Fleming March 30, 2016

Caltrans is on notice: A new bill looks at a life where counties would fix roads themselves. Responding to years of mismanagement and voter frustration with state roads, coupled with successful transportation programs administered in his home county, Sen. John Moorlach

SoCal support for bullet train wavers

James Poulos March 30, 2016

California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project has hit yet another speed bump: a loss of confidence among Southern California officials already left hanging by plans that shifted first-stage construction northward. “The California rail authority’s failure to identify a source of funding

Lawmakers take step toward retirement fund for all Californians

Matt Fleming March 29, 2016

State policy makers on Monday inched closer to a state-run retirement system for workers who don’t have access to employer-run accounts. Secure Choice, if implemented, would require employers of five or more people to automatically enroll employees into portable retirement

Public unions prevail as split Supreme Court sinks Friedrichs suit

James Poulos March 29, 2016

A landmark California case against state teachers unions’ mandatory dues collection fell victim to the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s absence from the Supreme Court — salvaging “a long-standing rule that requires about half of the nation’s teachers, transit workers and