In a news conference Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a mix of spending cuts and using reserves to balance the state budget. He said core services will be largely untouched, but some existing programs would be affected.
CalMatters
California lawmakers keep killing bills by not voting on them. Do the rules need to change?
From prohibiting nondisclosure agreements in bill negotiations to protecting utility ratepayers, bills keep dying this year in Sacramento despite lawmakers refusing to say “no” when it came time to vote.
Californians will see lower electricity rates and a new fee that won’t vary with power use
California utilities will shift billing to a fixed fee starting in 2025. Most Californians won’t see much change, or will have a lower bill.
Will California voters decide tax limits in November? It’s up to the Supreme Court
The California Supreme Court will decide in the coming weeks whether to kick a measure off the November ballot that would make it more difficult to raise taxes. The case pits Democratic leaders and unions against business and taxpayer groups.
Californians are protecting themselves from wildfire. Why is there still an insurance crisis?
As some insurance companies, citing growing risks and costs, have paused or stopped writing new policies in California, lawmakers want mitigation measures to be tracked, updated and accounted for to help insurance availability and affordability.
California could require kids to learn how to manage money. Should voters decide curriculum?
An initiative that looks likely to appear on the November ballot and that would require a personal finance class in high school circumvents the usual process for curriculum changes.
UC’s president had a plan to deescalate protests. How did we get a night of violence at UCLA?
The University of California’s campus safety plan was designed to calm protests by limiting law enforcement. Yet as tensions grew to violence against a UCLA student encampment erected in protest over the war in Gaza, many are criticizing law enforcement’s lack of intervention.
California passed a law to stop ‘pay to play’ in local politics. After two years, legislators want to gut it
A 2022 law limits campaign contributions to $250 to local elected officials from a donor with a license, building permit or other proceeding before the officials. Now there’s a bill to raise the limit to $1,000 and loosen other restrictions.
Steve Garvey calls pro-Palestinian student protesters ‘terrorists’
Steve Garvey, the Republican contender for California’s U.S. Senate seat in November’s election, criticized USC student encampments as acts of terrorism. Nearly 100 demonstrators were arrested on trespassing charges.
Millions of Californians weigh options after losing an affordable internet subsidy
A federal affordable internet subsidy is going away and 3 million Californians must decide whether to end access largely considered a human right.