How California reparations proposals could become law
March 30, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Reparations for Black residents in California will move to the state Legislature once a first-in-the-nation task force submits its recommendations and findings by July 1.
California may end travel ban to states with anti-LGBTQ laws
March 30, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When North Carolina in 2016 banned transgender people from using the bathroom of their gender identity in public buildings, California retaliated by banning state-funded travel to that state and any other state with laws it deemed discriminatory against LGBTQ people.
Surge in eating disorders spurs state legislative action
March 23, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Stranded at home amid pandemic lockdowns in spring 2020, Emma Warford stumbled down a social media rabbit hole in her quest to get in shape. Viral 28-day fitness challenges. YouTubers promising “hourglass abs.” Diet videos where slim-stomached influencers peddled calorie-tracking apps.
California may punish oil companies for high gas prices
March 23, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A first-in-the-nation bill to punish oil companies for profiting from price spikes at the pump breezed through the California Senate on Thursday at the urging of Democratic Gov.
Federal judge blocks key parts of California handgun law
March 21, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked key provisions of a California law that drastically restricts the sale of new handguns in the state, saying parts of the legislation violate the Second Amendment.
California, drugmaker partner to produce affordable insulin
March 18, 2023 GMTDOWNEY, Calif. (AP) — The state of California and a generic drug manufacturer announced a 10-year partnership Saturday to produce affordable, state-branded insulin that they hope will rival longtime producers and push down prices for a medication used by millions of Americans.
California buildings still in peril from tumbling cliff
March 17, 2023 GMTSAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — About two dozen people forced to flee Southern California apartment buildings endangered by a tumbling oceanside hill may be evacuated indefinitely.
Three clifftop apartment buildings and one nearby building in coastal Orange County's San Clemente were red-tagged and evacuated Wednesday when the land began to shift and slide away from their backyards down a hillside following torrential rains.
California bill to protect doctors who mail abortion pills
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doctors in California who mail abortion pills to people in other states would be protected from prosecution under a new bill announced Friday in the state Legislature.
The bill would not let California extradite doctors who are facing charges in another state for providing abortion medication.
Feds want justices to end Navajo fight for Colo. River water
March 17, 2023 GMTStates that rely on water from the over-tapped Colorado River want the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lawsuit from the Navajo Nation that could upend how water is shared in the Western U.S.
Newsom pledges 1,200 tiny homes for California’s homeless
March 16, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will spend about $30 million to build 1,200 small homes across the state this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, part of a plan to help house the nation's largest homeless population and to address an issue that has persistently plagued the state during the governor's time in office.
What’s the next step for Black reparations in San Francisco?
March 16, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco supervisors have backed the idea of paying reparations to Black people, but whether members will agree to lump-sum payments of $5 million to every eligible person or to any of the more than 100 other recommendations made by an advisory committee won't be known until later this year.
California regulators could decide oil profits penalty
March 16, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he wants state regulators to decide whether to impose the nation's first penalty on oil companies for price gouging, pivoting after months of negotiations with legislative leaders failed to reach an agreement on a bill aimed at reining in the state's notoriously high gas prices.
San Francisco board open to reparations with $5M payouts
March 15, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — 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.
Despite objections, Chevron says it reported oil price data
March 15, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Chevron said on Tuesday it reported how much money it made in January from selling gasoline in California, disclosing the data after regulators threatened to fine the company for not following a new law aimed at investigating the cause of the state's high gas prices.
California court rules for Uber, Lyft in ride-hailing case
March 14, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — App-based ride hailing and delivery companies like Uber and Lyft can continue to treat their California drivers as independent contractors, a state appeals court ruled Monday, allowing the tech giants to bypass other state laws requiring worker protections and benefits.
California budget deficit could delay new child care funding
March 13, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Every weekday, Patricia Moran has up to a dozen children in her San Jose home day care center, mostly from low-income families — and sometimes the kids are as young as 2 weeks old because their parents can't afford to take more time off from work.
California housing laws prompt dueling housing lawsuits
March 9, 2023 GMTHUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California's attempts at forcing its wealthy coastal cities to build more affordable housing spawned two lawsuits on Thursday, showcasing tensions around solving a crisis that has contributed to a surge in the homeless population in the nation's most populous state.
Boston council passes proposal aimed at tackling rising rent
March 8, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The Boston City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal from the mayor to cap rent prices as part of an effort to address rising housing costs and prevent homelessness.
California governor won’t deliver State of the State speech
March 7, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom won't give a State of the State address this year, shunning the teleprompter that has frustrated him because of his dyslexia in favor of a statewide tour this month, in which he can highlight his major policy goals in a more informal setting.
Californians await key decisions from reparations task force
March 5, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly two years into the California reparations task force’s work, the group still has yet to make key decisions that will be at the heart of its final report recommending how the state should apologize and compensate Black residents for the harms caused by slavery and discrimination.
Paid express lanes grow more popular in once-reluctant South
March 4, 2023 GMTTrucker Tim Chelette has been making the same twice-daily drive for 16 years hauling empty whiskey barrels from Louisville, Kentucky, to the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee, yet his workday keeps getting longer due to time lost in Nashville traffic.
California bill would help protect nannies, house cleaners
March 2, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California households that employ cleaners or nannies could soon be required to comply with safety standards similar to other workplaces under a bill proposed in the state Legislature.
California governor vows to change law blocking new housing
February 27, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he'll work this year to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says has been weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly-needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Michigan power crews work, California recovers after storms
February 27, 2023 GMTSome Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day without power Sunday as crews continued work to restore electricity more than 165,000 homes and businesses in the greater Detroit area following last week's ice storm.
Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans
February 25, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In its latest ambitious roadmap to tackle climate change, California relies on capturing carbon out of the air and storing it deep underground on a scale that’s not yet been seen in the United States.
California bill penalizing oil profits makes little progress
February 23, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After gas prices in California spiked to more than $6.40 per gallon last summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom led a charge against an industry he says is “ripping you off."
Months later, it's not clear if California's Legislature is following him.
Guns, ammunition seized from man with mental health ban
February 22, 2023 GMTAZUSA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities seized nearly two dozen guns, silencers and some 35,000 rounds of ammunition at the Southern California home of a man who was forbidden to own weapons because of a mental health-related ban, it was announced Tuesday.
Democratic governors form alliance on abortion rights
February 21, 2023 GMTDemocratic governors in 20 states are launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision nixing a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy and instead shifting regulatory powers over the procedure to state governments.
Supreme Court weighs liability shield for internet giants
February 19, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Islamic State gunmen killed American college student Nohemi Gonzalez as she sat with friends in a Paris bistro in 2015, one of several attacks on a Friday night in the French capital that left 130 people dead.
Turmoil in courts on gun laws in wake of justices’ ruling
February 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment is upending gun laws across the country, dividing judges and sowing confusion over what firearm restrictions can remain on the books.
California will try to enshrine right to same-sex marriage
February 15, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, a U.S. trendsetter for progressive policies and a state where the current governor once made news issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco before it was legal, will attempt to enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution.
California 2024 US Senate contest kicks off at furious pace
February 12, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s U.S. Senate race is unfolding at a furious pace, with candidates reporting seven-figure fundraising and holding competing rallies and campaign events more than a year before the 2024 primary election.
California proposal would reinstate prisoners’ voting rights
February 8, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California voters could decide whether to reinstate voting rights to people in prison on felony convictions under a newly proposed constitutional amendment.
It would be a major expansion of suffrage for incarcerated people if passed.
IRS urges special refund recipients to delay filing taxes
February 7, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is recommending that taxpayers hold off on filing their tax returns for 2022 if they received a special tax refund or payment from their state last year.
California seeks new gun restrictions following shootings
February 1, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon ban people from carrying guns in nearly all public places as Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies in the state Legislature seek to test the limits of the U.S.
Widow’s suit: Unarmed mentally ill husband shot in back
February 1, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A California widow whose husband was suffering from a mental health crisis when she called a nonemergency number for help last year sued Culver City police Tuesday, alleging they shot her unarmed husband in the back as he was running from officers.
How will life change once the COVID-19 emergency ends?
January 31, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency three years ago changed the lives of millions of Americans by offering increased health care coverage, beefed-up food assistance and universal access to coronavirus vaccines and tests.
No new hearing on condemned Missouri man’s innocence claim
January 31, 2023 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — The attorney for a Missouri man facing lethal injection next week said Tuesday that he will ask the state Supreme Court to postpone the execution by three or four months to allow more time to investigate his innocence claim.
Self-driving semis focus of California rules, legislation
January 31, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California regulators explore new rules to put self-driving semitrucks on the road, labor unions are rushing to the state Legislature to ask for a new law they say will protect their jobs — the start of a debate that could shape the future of the nation's nearly $900 billion trucking industry.
Uvalde families press urgency after California shootings
January 25, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Families from Uvalde on Tuesday pleaded with new urgency for tougher gun laws in the wake of a series of mass shootings in California, including the nation's deadliest act of gun violence since last year's attack at a Texas elementary school.
Colorado lawmakers to consider ban on semiautomatic weapons
January 24, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — Two decades after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and two months after five people were killed at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado lawmakers are drafting a sweeping ban on semiautomatic firearms.
No more nuggets? School lunch goes farm-to-table — for some
January 24, 2023 GMTCONCORD, Calif. (AP) — As the fine-dining chef at a suburban high school gave samples of his newest recipes, junior Anahi Nava Flores critiqued a baguette sandwich with Toscano salami, organic Monterey Jack, arugula and a scratch-made basil spread: “This pesto aioli is good!"
California Supreme Court dumps triple-slaying death sentence
January 24, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court on Monday overturned the murder convictions and death sentence for a man who killed three people and committed a series of other crimes in San Diego in 1985.
Newsom budget would cut some money for flood protection
January 22, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Multiple flood protection projects in California are on hold after Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting their funding to help cover a $22.5 billion budget deficit — a decision disappointing environmental advocates as weeks of powerful storms have caused widespread flooding that damaged homes and washed away roads.
Tax the rich? Liberals renew push for state wealth taxes
January 20, 2023 GMTSupporters of taxes on the very rich contend that people are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with a bigger appetite for what they’re calling “tax justice.”
Bills announced Thursday in California, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and Connecticut vary in their approaches to hiking taxes, but all revolve around the idea that the richest Americans need to pay more.
California bill calls for revenue sharing in college sports
January 20, 2023 GMTPASADENA, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker introduced a bill Thursday that would require schools that play major college sports to pay some athletes as much as $25,000 annually, along with covering the cost of six-year guaranteed athletic scholarships and post-college medical expenses.
Wisconsin Assembly puts bail amendment on April ballot
January 19, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly gave a final, bipartisan push Thursday to a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it harder for violent criminals to get out of jail on bail.
Washington state court OK’s Albertsons’ merger $4B dividend
January 18, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state Supreme Court has brushed aside the final remaining legal hurdle in the way of a $4 billion dividend by Albertsons to its shareholders ahead of a proposed merger with rival Kroger.
Va. Senate Democrats kill effort to repeal electric car rule
January 18, 2023 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Senate Democrats on Tuesday defeated several Republican efforts to repeal a so-called “clean cars” law that aims to reduce carbon pollution through the adoption of California’s stringent rules for vehicle emissions.
California latest to sue drug companies over insulin prices
January 13, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California on Thursday announced it will sue the companies that make and promote most of the nation's insulin, accusing them of scheming to illegally increase the price of the drug and demanding they return millions of dollars to some diabetics who state officials say were overcharged for the medicine they must have to survive.
After years of surpluses, California headed toward a deficit
January 10, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — From a budget perspective, the first four years of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's time in office has been a fairy tale: A seemingly endless flow of money that paid to enact some of the country's most progressive policies while acting as a bulwark against a tide of conservative rulings on abortion and guns from the U.S.
Supreme Court debates union tactics in spoiled concrete case
January 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday debated the limits of the pressure unions can exert during a strike in a case about cement truck drivers who walked off the job with the trucks full of wet concrete.
Rep. Katie Porter seeking Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024
January 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California said Tuesday she will seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat and the oldest member of the chamber.
Gas tax collections resume in Georgia after 10-month break
January 10, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — State gasoline and diesel taxes make their return in Georgia on Wednesday.
The state will resume collecting a tax on gasoline of 29.1 cents per gallon and tax on diesel of 32.6 cents per gallon from wholesalers.
States target transgender health care in first bills of 2023
January 7, 2023 GMTAfter a midterm election and record flow of anti-transgender legislation last year, Republican state lawmakers this year are zeroing in on questions of bodily autonomy with new proposals to limit gender-affirming health care and abortion access.
2nd Term: California’s Newsom draws “battle lines” with GOP
January 7, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom may be fresh off a campaign victory, but on Friday he talked like a politician ready for a fight as he held up his state as a beacon of freedom amid what he called a “rising tide of oppression" in Republican-led states.
EXPLAINER: Storms put California levees to the test
January 6, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — With multiple powerful storms continuing to bear down on California, state officials have warned that rural areas are the most at risk of flooding because the levees that protect them aren't built to the same standards as others that shield more populated cities.
California trying to find, compensate sterilization victims
January 6, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — About 600 people alive today can’t have children because California’s government sterilized them either against their will or without their knowledge, and now the state is trying to find them so it can pay them at least $15,000 each in reparations.
California police more likely to stop, search Black teens
January 4, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California law enforcement searched teenagers whom officers perceived to be Black at nearly six times the rate of teens believed to be white during vehicle and pedestrian stops in 2021, according to a state report released Tuesday.
NY lawmakers get pay raise making them nation’s best-paid
January 1, 2023 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Just in time for the New Year, New York lawmakers have become the highest paid state legislators in the nation under a bill signed Saturday.
Members of both houses are getting a pay raise of $32,000, for a base salary of $142,000, under a bill Gov.
Taxes fall, wages rise and jaywalking OK’d by new state laws
December 31, 2022 GMTTaxes will fall and minimum wages rise for residents in numerous states as a variety of new laws take effect Sunday that could impact people's finances and, in some cases, their personal liberties.
Taxes fall, wages rise and jaywalking OK’d by new state laws
December 31, 2022 GMTTaxes will fall and minimum wages rise for residents in numerous states as a variety of new laws take effect Sunday that could impact people's finances and, in some cases, their personal liberties.
Think those bags are recyclable? California says think again
December 29, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Since California adopted the nation's first ban on single-use plastic shopping bags in 2014, most grocery stores have turned to thicker, reusable plastic bags that are supposed to be recyclable.
Biden signs bill to study salt lakes in drought-hit US West
December 28, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Scientists will get $25 million to study salt lake ecosystems in the drought-stricken U.S. West, as President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday allocating the funds in the face of unprecedented existential threats caused by the lack of water.
States banking big bucks as Fed attempts to fight inflation
December 27, 2022 GMTJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State governments emerging from the coronavirus pandemic built historic cash surpluses as inflation in prices and wages drove up sales and income tax collections.
Now many states are reaping another reward: banking millions of dollars off those surpluses as the Federal Reserve fights inflation with higher interest rates.
Senators want answers in wake of AP’s prison investigations
December 13, 2022 GMTThe chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he plans to question the director of the federal Bureau of Prisons this week about an Associated Press investigation that found the agency has repeatedly promoted and continues to stand by a high-ranking official who beat Black inmates in the 1990s.
Supreme Court won’t block California flavored tobacco ban
December 13, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday refused a request from tobacco companies to stop California from enforcing a ban on flavored tobacco products that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November.
BLM sets up student relief fund as loan forgiveness stalls
December 12, 2022 GMTThe Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation launched a new relief fund Monday aimed at Black college students, alumni and dropouts overburdened by mounting education costs and the student loan debt crisis.
CVS, Walgreens finalize $10B in settlements over opioids
December 12, 2022 GMTCVS and Walgreens have agreed to pay state and local governments a combined total of more than $10 billion to settle lawsuits over the toll of opioids and now want to know by Dec. 31 whether states are accepting the deals.
Arizona State hires Baldwin as offensive coordinator
December 9, 2022 GMTTEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has hired former Cal Poly head coach Beau Baldwin as its next offensive coordinator.
The school announced Baldwin's hiring of new coach Kenny Dillingham's staff on Friday, a week after he resigned at Cal Poly.
Lawsuit seeks end to NY’s ban on jurors with felony records
December 8, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A New York civil rights organization sued the state’s court system Thursday seeking to overturn a law barring people with felony convictions from serving on juries.
The New York Civil Liberties Union argues that the statute spelling out qualifications for jury service disproportionately excludes Black men, leaving Black people significantly underrepresented in the jury pool.
St. Louis mayor appoints commission to consider reparations
December 8, 2022 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones is appointing a reparations commission that will “recommend a proposal to begin repairing the harms that have been inflicted” by slavery, segregation and racism.
Execution warrant sought for an Arizona death row inmate
December 7, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday requested the state Supreme Court issue a warrant of execution for death row inmate Aaron Gunches.
The 51-year-old Gunches was originally sentenced to death in 2008.