California
How Oakland Cops Gamed the System To Earn $30 Million in Overtime Pay
A new audit reveals how poor oversight and structural problems allowed one Oakland cop to earn $2.5 million in overtime pay in five years.
After L.A. Teachers' Strike, California Task Force Recommends Strict Restrictions on Charter Schools
Union leaders made charters a major point of contention during the January protests.
Union Sues Over Approval of 1,000-Unit Silicon Valley Housing Project, Arguing Building's Shiny Windows Will Kill Too Many Birds
An environmental lawsuit holds up yet another residential development in housing-starved California.
Californians Are Now Paying Higher Gas Taxes. Cities Are Responding by Reducing Lanes for Cars.
After state lawmakers boosted the gas tax with a promise to improve California streets, some cities are upsetting drivers by spending millions on so-called 'road diet' projects that reduce the number of lanes for motor vehicles.
Second U.S. City Decriminalizes Magic Mushrooms, Other Psychedelics
The Oakland City Council unanimously approved a city ordinance decriminalizing "entheogenic plants."
New Employment Regulations Could Destroy California's Gig Economy
What happens when you reclassify independent contractors as employees?
Is California's Watered-Down Rent Control Bill Still Problematic?
A compromise version of the bill would cap rent increases at 7 percent plus inflation for three years.
Backers of California's Paper Receipt Crackdown Overhype 'Skip the Slip'
A California bill to crack down on paper receipts relies on scare tactics and misinformation.
Bill Would Limit California Cops' Use of Deadly Force
The legislation moves forward following a compromise with law enforcement groups.
The State Can't Keep Drugs Out of Prisons. How Was It Ever Going to Keep Them Out of America?
This is the nature of government. It can't stop the flow of illicit substances in a sealed and militarized building that's under its total control.
Offenders in California Get Saddled with Thousands of Dollars in Court Fees. This Bill Would Stop That.
A study shows that when these fees hit low-income offenders, they wreck their lives—and also don't even get paid.
California Sues to Protect Its Federal Bullet Train Pork
The Trump Administration has cut off funding for the budget-busting boondoggle.
Federal Funding for California Bullet Train Boondoggle Formally Canceled
State leaders cannot seem to let a bad project die.
Landmark California Housing Bill Stalls in State Legislature
SB 50's upzoning provisions were repeatedly watered down to make the bill more politically palatable. It turns out that wasn't enough.
California's Marijuana Tax Revenue Still Sucks Stale Bong Water
High taxes and harsh regulations lead to a $223 million cut in budget projections.
76 Shots, 2 Cops, and a Deadly Chase Through a Residential Neighborhood
The officers won't be charged, but the DA thinks their actions were "alarming and irresponsible."
Psychonautical Journalist Michael Pollan Says the FDA, Not Voters, Should Decide Who Gets to Use Psilocybin
The approach Pollan prefers will not get us to the destination he says he wants to reach.
California's Rent Control Advocates Are About To Get What They Want, Good and Hard
Everywhere rent control is tried, the same things happen. Landlords exit the market. Developers stop building apartments. Supply drops significantly.
Cory Booker's Microstamping Mandate Would Amount to a Ban on New Handgun Models
The Democratic presidential candidate promises to fight for a design requirement that is not currently feasible.
Oakland's 'Pothole Vigilantes' Are the Batman and Robin of Road Repair
"We love the city, we hope they fill the potholes faster. And if they’re not going to do it, we’ll do it ourselves.”
Democrats Want To Fight Poverty, but Don't Value Letting People Work
All the welfare programs California Democrats can dream up won't do as much as some commonsense reforms to let people who want to work, work.
Affordable Housing Debate Pits California Cities Against Suburbs. Both Need Freer Markets.
A flaw in a proposal that would let developers build more high-density apartments and condos is that it doesn't go nearly far enough
California Housing Reform Bill Survives a Crucial Vote, but at What Cost?
SB 50 is starting to look less like a bold reform, and more like a marginal improvement on a dreadful status quo.
California Politicians Hiked Gas Tax, Now Demand Investigation Into State's $4 Per Gallon Gas Prices
What could possibly be increasing California's gas prices?
California's 6-Figure Pension Club Has Doubled in Size Since 2012
Last year, CalPERS issued 30,969 pensions checks worth $100,000 or more on an annualized basis—up from about 14,600 six-figure payouts in 2012.
California Law Would Outlaw Small Shampoo, Conditioner Bottles in Hotels
A supporter says the move is "symbolic."
Activists Launch Fresh Effort To Get Rent Control on California's State Ballot
Fresh from their 2018 defeat, California's rent control advocates are back with another statewide ballot initiative.
CBD Is Still Banned in States With Legal Weed
California Public Health officials confiscated $140,000 worth of cannabidiol-infused beverages from an LA warehouse.
California's Sanctuary Laws Survive Another Trump Challenge
Federal judges rule state cannot be forced to assist immigration officials.
Is Marginally Loosening California's Zoning Restrictions Racist?
A new mailer from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation argues that allowing the construction of apartment buildings near transit stops is tantamount to "negro removal."
California's Unfixable Housing Mess Is Years in the Making
At least now we're arguing over the right thing: the need to hike housing supply.
Federal Appellate Court Rules Against Trump Administration on Most Issues in California "Sanctuary State" Case
The ruling, written by a Republican-appointed judge, is an important victory for federalism.
Could This California Environmental Law Be the Cannabis Industry's 'Silent Killer'?
The California Environmental Quality Act is empowering anti-cannabis NIMBYs and causing regulatory chaos
Kamala Harris Offers a Crappy Apology to Parents Who Went to Jail Because Their Kids Missed School
Harris supported a truancy law that listed jail time as a punishment for parents.
It Might Be the 'Heart of the Resistance,' but California Is Not Its Own Nation-state
But that might be news to some Californians, and even more of the state's elected and appointed officials.
California Plastic Bag Bans Spur 120 Percent Increase in Sales of Thicker Plastic Garbage Bags
A new study says plastic bag bans encourage people to use less eco-friendly substitutes.
24 California Cities Sue to Stop Home Weed Deliveries
Most California cities already ban recreational cannabis stores. A few want to ban home deliveries as well.
California Prosecutors Move to Clear Old Pot Convictions
Recreational weed went into effect last year. Now, two prosecutors are trying to bring the criminal justice system up to speed.
Here Is Why a Federal Judge Nixed California's Ban on 'Large Capacity Magazines'
The Second Amendment covers magazines holding more than 10 rounds, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez says, because they are commonly used for lawful purposes.
Futuristic Tech-Driven Policing Will Only Be as Good as the Cops Doing It
One doesn't need a predictive-policing program to realize that police officers who have been convicted of serious crimes ought not to be trusted with a badge.
Los Angeles Legalized Pot Sales. Now It May Launch a New War on Weed.
High taxes and slow bureaucracy keeps the black market alive.
