Latest California state government News
A nonprofit got jobs for disabled workers in California prisons. A union dispute could end them
A long-simmering dispute between California’s largest state employee union and a nonprofit organization that hires disabled workers is coming to a head this summer, and dozens of people could lose their jobs. SEIU Local 1000 for several years has been trying to push the state’s...
The Supreme Court rules against California woman whose husband was denied entry to US
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday ruled against a California woman who said her rights were violated after federal officials refused to allow her husband into the country, in part, because of the way his tattoos were interpreted. The 6-3 decision along ideological...
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 Senate approves ban on requiring schools to notify parents of child's pronoun change
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — School districts in California would be barred from requiring teachers to notify parents if their child asks to go by a new pronoun at school under a bill the state Legislature is weighing amid legal battles over the rights of parents and gender-nonconforming students. ...
Supreme Court rules California man can't trademark 'Trump too small'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled against a man who wants to trademark the suggestive phrase “Trump too small.” The justices upheld the government’s decision to deny a trademark to Steve Elster, a California man seeking exclusive use of the...
Some California officials can meet remotely. For local advisory boards, state lawmakers say no
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — On the one hand, allowing local advisory boards and commissions to meet remotely could make it easier for more Californians to take part, including those with disabilities or in jobs that make it hard to attend in-person meetings. But on the other,...
How shots instead of pills could change California’s homeless crisis
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — As Dr. Rishi Patel’s street medicine van bounces over dirt roads and empty fields in rural Kern County, he’s looking for a particular patient he knows is overdue for her shot. The woman, who has schizophrenia and has been living outside for five...
In a rare step, 3 South Dakota counties are set to vote on counting ballots by hand
Voters in at least three rural South Dakota counties are set to decide Tuesday whether to return to counting ballots by hand, the latest communities around the country to consider ditching machine tabulators based on unfounded conspiracy theories stemming from the 2020 presidential election. ...
