Opponents of Proposition 32 to increase the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour are running ads focused on the cost of living. Proponents are not reaching out to voters very much. And polls show declining support.
Jeanne Kuang / CalMatters
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California business and labor make a deal on workplace violation lawsuits
Business and labor groups announced an agreement Tuesday to limit a California law on class-action workplace lawsuits and avoid a battle at the ballot box in November.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California cracked down after a crash killed 13 farmworkers. Why are workers still dying on the road?
After a tragedy 25 years ago, state lawmakers and the California Highway Patrol acted to make farmworkers’ commutes safer. But workers still die in crashes — in vans the law doesn’t cover.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Prop 1 — Gavin Newsom’s mental health plan — holds slim lead as count continues
As of Friday afternoon, Prop 1 was ahead by the narrowest of margins – around 20,000 votes out of nearly 4.4 million votes counted. The initiative, which needs a simple majority to pass, would fund new mental health treatment facilities.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Supreme Court will hear case about homeless encampments, with huge implications for California
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that has implications for how much power California officials have over homeless camps. It will rule on current precedent later this year.
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Why tiny homes will remain part of California’s homelessness equation for years
Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.
Posted inLatest News
Fast food workers to get wage hikes in last-minute deal on bill that featured prominently in Santa Cruz County
A deal announced Monday by labor groups and the fast food industry would give workers a $20 minimum wage and pull a measure off the 2024 ballot. The Legislature has until Thursday to approve it. The agreement is detailed in changes to Assembly Bill 1228, a proposed law that the fast food industry had lobbied heavily against in Santa Cruz County
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‘Down to our last dimes’: State workers say California paychecks no longer cover the bills
California state workers say salaries lower than what they could make in the private sector were historically offset by pensions, better benefits and job security. But now, some say the tradeoff is no longer worth it.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A small world: How caste discrimination came to California
A bill to ban caste discrimination in California brings a global conflict to the Legislature. While many South Asian groups support the measure, some say it could backfire.
Posted inLatest News
Gavin Newsom wants Ron DeSantis charged with ‘kidnapping’ migrants. Is that possible?
“You small, pathetic man,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a Twitter post suggesting he’d pursue criminal charges against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over recent migrant flights to Sacramento.