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.
StateWatch
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam just got a funding boost from Trump
The Trump administration Tuesday announced $40 million for “planning and preconstruction activities associated with raising Shasta Dam.” Opponents say the project could swamp sacred sites and harm a protected river.
Teens walked out of school to protest ICE. Police are investigating the adults who helped them
High school students all over California walked out of class in protest over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Police in two cities, conservative Clovis and liberal Los Angeles, issued warnings about potential arrests to adults who helped them.

