Regulations

Years after CalWatchdog investigation, bill to end sub-minimum wage advances

More than 2 million workers in California are celebrating the new year’s bump in the minimum wage. Effective January 1, the state’s minimum wage increased from $9 to $10 an hour. But, not all workers in the state benefited from

CA fish-farming: Concept praised, but project opposed

Chris Reed December 28, 2015

Eating fish is very healthy. Risks of overfishing are growing. For both these reasons, government officials around the world have frequently offered broad, general praise for aquaculture — fish farming — and its potential to provide a large new supply of healthy

DMV won’t unleash robocars on CA roads

James Poulos December 26, 2015

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has put the brakes on driverless cars. Although the agency’s new proposed regulations would technically allow new self-driving vehicles on Golden State streets, the strict regulations surrounding their use would all but foreclose the fully automated future envisioned

17 years later, O.C. desalination plant inches toward finish line

Chris Reed December 19, 2015

The massive $1 billion Carlsbad desalination plant — the largest in North America — begins normal operations this month after a long legal and regulatory odyssey. The plant is expected to provide 54 million gallons of water a day, or

SCOTUS stiffs CA suit against DirecTV

James Poulos December 17, 2015

A high-profile lawsuit that could have increased consumer protections was shot down by the Supreme Court. “The justices by a 6-3 vote overturned a state ruling and threw out a class-action lawsuit against DirecTV over its termination fees for customers

CA gun laws back in crosshairs

James Poulos December 10, 2015

The Golden State’s strict approach to gun control has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings. Recent curbs on access to firearms and limitations on certain gun features appeared to have made little or no impact on

CA charts own course on marijuana

James Poulos December 4, 2015

With outright legalization headed toward the ballot this coming election year, government and business alike have begun hardwiring marijuana into California law and economics. Already, state officials have begun their search for the right candidate to head the new Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation.

State Community College accreditor determined unfit after five decades

Steve Miller November 30, 2015

In deciding last week to remove the body that accredits community colleges in California, state commissioners erased five decades of authority and opened the door to a new oversight body. The move to get a new accreditation plan in place

CA continues to lead nation in “diploma-mill” colleges

Chris Reed November 25, 2015

The recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Education and state Attorney General Kamala Harris that 85,000 California students who attended for-profit campuses of Corinthian Colleges would be eligible for debt forgiveness on their student loans because they’d been misled by

CA accelerates delayed robocar rules

James Poulos November 21, 2015

Slowly but surely, driverless — or “self-driving” — cars will make their way onto California streets. Despite a string of setbacks, and a wave of pervasive fear that automated cars could be hacked, Golden State regulators have determined to move