State GovernmentGarbology is the study of trash. This is why students love itMarch 24, 2023A professor lends worms to students, takes them to sewage processing plants and encourages them to answer their own questions about garbage. Sometimes, they even make a career out of it.
State GovernmentSenate approves Newsom’s oil industry crackdown proposalMarch 22, 2023 | Nicole NixonIt’s full speed ahead for lawmakers aiming to get a proposal imposing new oversight on oil industry profits to Governor Gavin Newsom by the end of March.
State GovernmentState may scale down its new home loan program designed to assist first-time homebuyersMarch 22, 2023Gov. Newsom wants to spend $300 million the first year, which could help about 2,300 buyers. But home prices are falling and mortgage rates are rising, complicating the launch.
State GovernmentProposed bill would overhaul referendum petition process in CaliforniaMarch 22, 2023 | Mike HagertyA California assembly member says some petition circulators misrepresent who they work for and what their petitions would do. He’s introducing a bill he says would require more transparency during the signature collection process.
State GovernmentCourt ruling opens door to gig driver unionization bill, union saysMarch 20, 2023A court ruling last week upheld much of Proposition 22, but found part of the measure was invalid in a way that could favor gig workers.
State GovernmentWildfire victims left ‘in the dark’ after U.S. Forest Service briefs Congress about the Caldor FireMarch 20, 2023 | Scott RoddA CapRadio and California Newsroom investigation prompted the Forest Service to answer U.S. lawmakers’ questions about a stalled fire prevention project, but little information from these meetings has been shared with the public.
State GovernmentCalifornia’s Covid misinformation law is entangled in lawsuits, conflicting rulingsMarch 19, 2023A state law says giving false information to patients about covid-19 constitutes unprofessional conduct for which regulators can discipline doctors. Vaccine skeptics, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., join civil liberties groups and others.
State GovernmentCalifornia colleges rush to get more students on food assistance before pandemic rule endsMarch 18, 2023Most college students don’t qualify for CalFresh, California’s food stamps program, despite high rates of food insecurity. A pandemic-era rule that made it easier to get aid ends soon.
State GovernmentGavin Newsom moves to ‘transform’ San Quentin as California prison population shrinksMarch 17, 2023San Quentin housed California’s death row for decades. Now Gov. Newsom wants the prison on San Francisco Bay to emphasize rehabilitation and helping inmates re-enter society.
Health CareCalifornia could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additivesMarch 17, 2023 | Kate WolffeTwo California legislators want to eliminate chemicals present in thousands of grocery items, like candies and drinks, that are linked to health problems and are already banned in the European Union.
