California imposed a new mask mandate, to take effect Wednesday, amid growing concerns that a winter surge in COVID-19 cases could once again strain hospitals.
Los Angeles Times
Posted inEnvironment
California proposes big changes to rooftop solar incentives
Solar companies were furious, saying the changes will harm the market for clean energy.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Proposed state law seeks to ban freeway expansions in underserved communities
A California legislator has proposed blocking state funding and permits for freeway expansions in poor and polluted neighborhoods.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With 2022 campaign on the horizon, Gov. Gavin Newsom has the public stage to himself
Newsom is all but alone on the public stage with just six months to go before the June statewide primary, a testament to his defeat of the recall in California this fall.
Posted inEnvironment
Prosecutors charge father and son suspected of starting Caldor fire in the Sierra
After David Scott Smith and his son, Travis Shane Smith, were arrested a day earlier, prosecutors filed several felony charges against them Thursday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California created the nation’s first state reparations task force. Now comes the hard part
The panel has a monumental challenge: crafting a historic reparations proposal that earns the support of Black Californians and a majority of California lawmakers.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Young Latinos are dying of COVID at an alarming rate — the effects could be felt for generations
The families of the young Latinos who died will feel the loss for decades to come — not just the grief but the long-term financial hardships. It will be harder for their children to get an education and achieve upward mobility, potentially widening the class divide in the coming decades.
Posted inEnvironment
California goes to war with food waste. Composting is its next climate crusade
Those banana peels, pizza boxes and coffee grounds you throw away? Starting Jan. 1, local government will need to start composting them, in part to reduce greenhouse gases.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Signs of Omicron found in California wastewater, suggesting variant is widespread
The number of cases associated with the new strain rose to double digits this week, including a newly confirmed infection in a Long Beach resident.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Car crash deaths have surged during COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s why
Evidence suggests the pandemic has made U.S. drivers more reckless — more likely to speed, drink or use drugs and to leave their seatbelts unbuckled.