Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws that determine when community colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer.
CalMatters
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California’s tough on crime law promised treatment. Here’s why people are falling through the cracks
California’s Proposition 36 gave certain people facing criminal charges an option to have their cases dropped if they complete drug treatment. Now, counties are on their own to figure out how to provide it.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How the most powerful woman in California government is making her mark on the Legislature
While state Sen. Monique Limón doesn’t have a blockbuster legislative victory to show for her first year as pro tem, her biggest win so far is her popularity with Senate colleagues. Unlike her predecessor, who was known as a micromanager, Limón’s egalitarian, “govern by consensus” approach has kept her caucus in lockstep.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
New California law sets first-in-nation standards for smoke damage in homes
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed laws that detail insurers’ responsibilities in addressing smoke damage in homes. Some survivors from the Los Angeles County fires have yet to return home because of insurance disputes.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom signs law to let these Californians get out of jury duty — for good
Californians over age 80 will be able to get a permanent exemption from jury duty under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How a gym, a farmers market and MMA fighters landed millions in Newsom’s last budget
The California Legislature’s secretive earmark process allows lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom to dole out money for projects with little public scrutiny or notice, raising transparency and equity concerns even among some lawmakers.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Trump’s mail-in voting limits as November election nears
Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision shooting down President Donald Trump’s proposal to restrict mail-in voting just before the November midterm election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California enacts laws restricting chatbots and banning teens from ‘addictive’ social media
California teens will be barred from “addictive” social media products and limited in their interactions with chatbots under two of the 13 bills signed into law Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom to protect kids online.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Steve Hilton: Abolish the DMV
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says he wants to abolish the California Department of Motor Vehicles by transferring its functions to a combination of online services and local county offices. If elected, he says he would also cap the annual vehicle registration at a flat fee of $73.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California’s healthcare affordability office claims power to punish overspending hospitals
New penalties can fine California hospitals and insurers up to 125% of their overspending, with enforcement starting as early as 2028. Hospital executives argue that much of their spending, like drug costs and labor, is outside their control.
