Category: Northern California

California Governor Expands State of Emergency Due to Another Storm

Several counties were added to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency March 14 enabling them to receive storm and relief response, as Southern California braces for more rainfall. Alpine, Trinity, and Orange joined 40 other counties that are already under a state of emergency since March 1 as a result of heavy winter storms since…


Los Angeles Lawmaker Proposes California ‘Homelessness Prevention Act’

Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) proposed a new bill last week that will add additional protections under California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and lower the threshold property owners can increase rent. Durazo held a news conference March 10 to promote Senate Bill 567—called the Homelessness Prevention Act—of which details are currently being finalized…


California Tobacco Ban Would Treat Adults Like Children

Commentary Every now and then I get together with some friends and smoke cigars. Of course, I’m aware of the health effects of tobacco. In 1967, when I was 12, the first political thing I ever wrote was a speech against tobacco use, given before my seventh-grade class at Franklin Junior High School in Wayne,…


California Bill Would Ban Secret Gender Transitioning of Children at School

California teachers, counselors, and other school employees would be required to promptly inform parents of children who identify as transgender at school under proposed parental rights legislation. Assembly Bill (AB) 1314, introduced by Assemblymen Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) and James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), would give school staff three days to notify parents in writing if they…


Judge Rules Against California’s Ban on Crocodile, Alligator Products

A federal judge has ruled against California’s ban on selling and importing alligator and crocodile products. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Kimberly Mueller issued the ruling March 6, more than three years after Louisiana joined retailers across the nation to sue the state for its decision to criminalize the products. In the judgement, Mueller found…


San Francisco Board Receptive to Ambitious Reparations Plan

SAN FRANCISCO—Payments of $5 million to every eligible Black adult, the elimination of personal debt and tax burdens, guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years, and homes in San Francisco for just $1 a family. These were some of the more than 100 recommendations made by a city-appointed reparations committee tasked with…


California to Crack Down on TikTok, Launches Investigation Into Kids’ Mental Health Crisis

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched an investigation—along with a handful of other states—of China-based TikTok, regarding the social media platform’s potential involvement in the worsening U.S. mental health crisis among children. This month, the attorney general’s office announced an investigation into what it said was the platform’s negative impact on children and young…


SVB Crash Will Slam California State and Local Budgets

Commentary We’re still early in the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. But one thing it will hurt is California’s state and local budgets. And not just in the short term, but the long term. Banking crises come and go. But what’s different this time is what was advanced by Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary and in…


Silicon Valley Bank Customers Stand in Line for Hours at Santa Clara Location

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) customers lined up for hours in front of the bank’s HQ location in Santa Clara on March 13 to access their funds. Depositors rushed to the bank after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) stated in a press release that all assets—both insured and uninsured—would be available for transfer…


As Atmospheric River Exits, Another Awaits to Hit California

WATSONVILLE, Calif.—Wet, miserable weather continued across huge swaths of California on Sunday as an atmospheric river that caused major flooding flowed eastward, and as a new system threatens the region with another onslaught of rain, snow, and gusting winds as soon as Monday night. The National Weather Service said the next torrent could exacerbate the…