California governor defends progressive values, says they're an 'antidote' to populism on the right

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom used his State of the State address on Tuesday to boost President Joe Biden ahead of Thursday's pivotal presidential debate, comparing Donald Trump's version of the Republican Party to the rise of fascism prior to World War II and offering Democrats'...

Gov. Gavin Newsom defends California’s progressive values, says they are antidote to "poisonous populism of the right"

California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deliver State of the State address on Tuesday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California residents will be able to watch Gov. Gavin Newsom's State of the State address online this week, his office said Sunday. After sending the text of the address to the state Legislature Tuesday morning, Newsom will record the speech on video. ...

California Democrats agree to delay health care worker minimum wage increase to help balance budget

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrats in California have agreed to delay a minimum wage increase for about 426,000 health care workers to help balance the state's budget. The agreement between Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders is part of a larger plan to close an estimated...

California workplace safety board approves heat protections for indoor workers, excluding prisons

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On the first day of summer with parts of California sweltering under a heat advisory, a state worker safety board approved standards Thursday that would require employers to protect workers from indoor heat, but would exempt state correctional facilities. The...

California voters lose a shot at checking state and local tax hikes at the polls

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Supreme Court on Thursday took the rare step of removing a measure from the November ballot that would have made it harder to raise taxes, siding with Gov. Gavin Newsom by ruling the change would have upended the way government works. More...

A DA kept Black women off a jury. California’s Supreme Court says that wasn’t racial bias

One by one, a California prosecutor eliminated five out of six Black women from the jury pool for a death penalty case in which a white carpet cleaner slayed his client, a young mother. The attorney in Alameda County had a reason for each dismissal. He believed one, for instance,...

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students' usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. The announcement, which was first reported by Politico, comes a day after U.S....

California's Democratic leaders clash with businesses over curbing retail theft. Here's what to know

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — With retail theft increasing, California Democratic leadership is clashing with a coalition of law enforcement and business groups in a fierce political fight over how to crack down on the problem. State lawmakers are trying to preserve progressive policies and stay away...

California Legislature rejects many of Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget cuts as negotiations continue

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature on Thursday rejected many of Gov. Gavin Newsom's most difficult budget cuts, choosing instead to speed-up a temporary tax increase on some businesses to help address an estimated $45 billion deficit while preserving spending on many social...