News Archive

A growing population of people need in-home care in California. Many people doing that work earn low wages and have few labor protections. A proposed new law could allow in-home health care workers to bargain with the state for better pay and more ri

State Government

California tripled its spending on Sacramento’s homelessness crisis. Here’s where the money went.

February 27, 2023 | Chris Nichols

Affordable housing accounts for the largest increase in the region’s allocated funding for homelessness.

State Government

California dangles bonuses for nursing homes that add staff

February 26, 2023

Rather than simply reward top-performing facilities, the state’s Medicaid program will hand bonuses to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — for hiring more workers and reducing staff turnover.

State Government

Newsom’s oil profit penalty plan could face tough slog in Legislature

February 22, 2023 | Nicole Nixon

A proposal from Governor Gavin Newsom to impose a “price-gouging penalty” on oil companies received a skeptical reception from state lawmakers during its first hearing.

Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health Care

Is California breaking its promise to cut health care costs?

February 21, 2023

The state set up a fund to cut costs for those enrolled in Covered California, but that money has been diverted.

Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Environment

Floods, fires, droughts show California needs bigger safety net for farmworkers, advocates say

February 17, 2023

January’s rains flooded farm fields and orchards. Many California farmworkers lost weeks of pay. Advocates say the state should help them weather such crises. A leading proposal would pay $300 a week to undocumented workers.

State Government

Lowriding was born in California but it's restricted. Lawmakers want to change that

February 16, 2023

State law bars some modified vehicles and lets cities enact cruising bans. Lowrider advocates and Californian legislators say it criminalizes cultural traditions.

Race and Equity

California’s historic Reparations Task Force is finalizing its recommendations to the state

February 16, 2023 | Sarah Mizes-Tan

Suggestions for how the state can atone for the legacy of slavery and its impact include targeted funding for schools and homeownership, among others.

State Government

Who draws the lines? A big push for independent local redistricting

February 16, 2023

Advocates and lawmakers are making a major push for independent redistricting commissions in local California elections.

Health Care

In California, Democrats propose $25 minimum wage for health workers

February 15, 2023

State Sen. María Elena Durazo and Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West want to give health facility support staffers a raise. Hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis.

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