More than 17,000 people were under evacuation orders in Southern California on Tuesday as a wildfire threatened suburban homes.
StateWatch
Posted inEducation
Ban cellphones in all K-12 schools? Not so fast, say school officials
Studies have shown that cellphone use is a serious distraction for students that affects their mental health, social-emotional development and ability to concentrate in class.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom outlines his final budget proposal with no deficit, no new major spending
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday proposed a revised budget proposal without a deficit for his last year of office and the next, laying out a $350 billion plan that includes little new spending but also avoids major cuts.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California’s new plastic recycling rules spark fights from all sides
California set the country’s most ambitious plastic recycling deadline. Now, both environmental advocates and plastic producers could head to court.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With more money than ever, California’s biggest pension funds are a political battleground
Should California pension funds invest in fossil fuels? How about Tesla and Palantir? Or companies with anti-union records? Those debates are playing out at CalPERS and CalSTRS.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California to provide free diapers to newborns at more than 60 hospitals
California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-nation program announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Posted inEducation
California’s math scores are abysmal. Is it time to screen kindergartners for basic math skills?
A new bill would require California schools to screen all kindergartners, first and second graders for basic math skills. The idea is to help those children catch up to their peers who might have had much more exposure to math before starting school.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Billionaire tax proposal on track to qualify for California ballot, backers say
A controversial proposal in California to temporarily increase taxes on billionaires has enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, a labor union backing the measure said Monday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Does California’s race for governor finally have a leader? Swalwell sees attacks from left and right
In a wide-open contest ahead of a June primary, a burst of negative publicity aimed at the Democratic U.S. House member suggests that Eric Swalwell’s leading rivals see him gaining momentum in a race that has been overshadowed by international wars, turmoil in Washington and soaring gas prices.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California is spending hundreds of millions on heat. Will it ever be a public health priority?
As heat becomes a year-round reality, California is often still responding like it’s an emergency.
