Confusion abounds as California’s online privacy law kicks in
Enacted in 2018 over the vigorous objections of Silicon Valley tech giants, California’s first-in-the-nation online privacy law took effect Jan. 1, 2020. But with the staff of state Attorney General Xavier Becerra still far short of finalizing an enforcement framework, it’s unclear what effect the California Consumer Privacy Act will have in the short term. The law’s […]
San Francisco’s ‘homeless tax’ helps spur departure of another high-profile company
Will Uber be the next tech company to bail on San Francisco? Less than a year after losing by far its biggest-grossing company to Texas – the pharmaceutical giant McKesson Corp. – San Francisco is losing another high-profile firm. Stripe, a financial software company that is the second-highest valued start-up in the U.S., is moving […]
State auditor will review how $30 billion in Local Control Funding Formula grant money was spent
New reports show that six years after Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature approved a sweeping overhaul in how school funds were divvied up, the evidence is mixed that the overhaul is accomplishing its main goal: improving the academic performance of the 1.2 million English language learners in California public schools. Under the law, known as the […]
Do L.A. County leaders have ‘compassion fatigue’ on homelessness?
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has drawn a line on homelessness, voting 3-2 to support a challenge to an expansive 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that forbids local governments in nine Western states from enforcing laws against camping or sleeping on sidewalks or in other public places unless overnight shelter is […]
Impact of Scooters on Environment Still in Question
The dockless electric scooters that started popping up in California cities three years ago are facing a two-front backlash. The first front involves complaints over heavy use hurting quality of life in tourist areas and posing safety risks to both users and pedestrians. In Los Angeles, anger over scooters has left city leaders increasingly open […]
Some worry California Citizens Redistricting Commission lacks diversity in applicant pool
Despite requests from more than 20 civic groups that she keep recruiting applicants for the California Citizens Redistricting Commission past the present Aug. 9 deadline, state Auditor Elaine Howle doesn’t appear to believe it is necessary. Last week, California Common Cause, the California NAACP and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials were […]
Despite crackdown, is state losing ground in vaccination push?
Four years into a crackdown on high numbers of California students going unvaccinated because of claimed concerns over vaccine risks, new statistics from the 2018-2019 school year show that 10 percent or more of the students in 117 kindergartens and 5 percent or more of those at 1,500 other kindergartens do not have their required […]
California Attorney General an unexpected obstacle to police transparency law
Appointed to replace newly elected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris in 2016, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra ran for his own four-year term in 2018 as a supporter of then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s law enforcement and judicial reforms. “California’s Department of Justice has modernized its police force, sponsored state legislation to require an assessment of 2015 and […]
State’s largest ‘community choice’ energy program takes a hit
The community choice aggregation (CCA) movement has built considerable momentum in California in recent years. In CCA programs, groups of local government agencies team up to take over decision-making on what sources of power to use in the local electric grid – with utilities continuing to hold responsibility for maintaining the grid. CCA advocates contend […]
Are special interests blocking housing reforms? Or is public opposition?
Should land owners be able to put up small apartment buildings in single-family areas? A powerful state senator says no. The belief that California has a profound housing crisis took hold in the state’s media and political establishments in recent years after Census Bureau statistics showed the Golden State had the highest effective rate of […]