New restaurants and pop-ups to try in Los Angeles this July
Summer has landed in Los Angeles, with locals and tourists crowding whichever shores have been deemed the least polluted by officials, public plazas and parks…
California Legislature sends school gender notification bill to Newsom
SACRAMENTO — After a chaotic debate on the Assembly floor full of shouting and tears, California lawmakers on Thursday sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill…
Will Google cut a deal with California news media to fund journalism?
SACRAMENTO — California news publishers and Big Tech companies appear to be inching toward compromise on a controversial bill that would require Google and huge social…
California legislators reject proposal to limit water well-drilling
Over the past several years, California’s water managers have seen a pattern emerge in farming areas of the Central Valley: Even as declining groundwater levels…
California lawmakers at odds over passing retail theft laws
SAN FRANCISCO — After coming out as gay at 14 years old, Nicholas Michael Nelson was kicked out of the family home in Oceanside and…
Column: Stop playing politics on retail theft crackdown
SACRAMENTO — It’s hardball season in California’s state Capitol, and we’re not talking baseball. At times like this, I think of two all-star political philosophers: Otto…
California lawmakers revive debate on requiring Big Tech to pay for news
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers have revived legislation to charge online platforms for the news articles they publish, a proposal that stalled last year amid divisions within…
Changes to retail theft bills may splinter Prop. 47 initiative support
SACRAMENTO — Legislative leaders plan to fast-track bills to crack down on retail theft in California and are using the package of reforms to pressure supporters…
For some incarcerated women, getting menstrual products is a nightmare
One of the things Alissa Moore remembers clearly from her time in prison is how the guards taunted her when she asked for a tampon.…
California Assembly passes bill allowing cannabis cafes
A bill that would allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in California passed the state Assembly Monday afternoon on a 49-4 vote and is headed to the…
California Legislature issues official apology for slavery
SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly on Thursday voted to issue an official apology for the state’s role in slavery and the systemic racism that ensued, but…
North Carolina law targets masks at protests
RALEIGH, N.C. — People wearing masks during protests could face extra penalties if arrested, under proposed legislation in North Carolina. Critics say the legislation could make…
Why anti-LGBTQ legislation in Africa is a western problem
Queer media representation is down while transphobic legislation and scaremongering are on the up – across the west, recent years have seen a regression in…
California utilities seek higher fixed monthly fees
With little debate two years ago, state lawmakers passed a complex energy bill that enabled a sweeping change in how most Californians are billed for…
Alabama lawmakers advance bill that may lead to librarian prosecution
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted under the state’s obscenity law for providing “harmful” materials to minors, the…
Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in big bipartisan vote
WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed a package of $95 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and humanitarian assistance for Gaza, sending the…
House votes for possible TikTok ban but app won’t go away soon
WASHINGTON — The House has passed legislation that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform’s China-based owner doesn’t sell its…
Ukraine, Israel aid advances in rare House vote
WASHINGTON — With rare bipartisan momentum, the House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support…
What I learned from covering California’s homeless since 1980
In 1980, I reported on Sacramento’s “public inebriates.” Most of them, a few hundred in all, lived in flophouse hotels. But some slept “in the…
Paris Hilton backs California bill to reform ‘troubled teen industry’
SACRAMENTO — The celebrity hotel heiress once known for her high-profile nightclub appearances has turned her attention to a much more staid venue: the California state…