California

After decades of air quality improvement due to the Clean Air Act of 1970 and other regulations since, the Western U.S. is experiencing an increase in the number of days with extremely high levels of two key types of air pollutants due to climate change. From 2000 to 2020, the growing number of wildfires — […]

An estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of the chemicals arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium, and contaminated drinking water disproportionately impact communities of color in the state, finds a new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Because this […]

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today commended the U.S. Forest Service on its updated wildfire mitigation plan titled “Strategy for Protecting Communities and Improving Resilience in America’s Forests.”             “I’m pleased the U.S. Forest Service has released its 10-year implementation plan to confront the wildfire crisis in the West. This plan greatly expands the work that […]

CALIFORNIA, January 18, 2022 – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom and the leaders of California’s college and university systems joined Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday to launch the largest state-level investment in a college service program in California history. California Volunteers announced the 45 colleges and universities selected as inaugural partners for the service-based college opportunity […]

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), secured a court order instituting a lifetime ban against Martin Shkreli, the mastermind of a scheme to stifle competition of the lifesaving drug Daraprim. Attorney General Bonta applauded the decision today by a federal district court in New York to permanently ban Shkreli, also known […]

CAL FIRE today announced the availability of up to $24 million in grants for projects that support the creation of a robust and diversified wood products market to help meet California’s forest resilience goals. CAL FIRE’s Wood Products and Bioenergy Program, which seeks to maintain and enhance the forestry sector of California to promote healthy […]

SACRAMENTO, January 13, 2022 — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has granted 24 pardons, 18 commutations and 5 reprieves. The Governor today also announced that he has reversed the decision by the Board of Parole Hearings to grant parole to Sirhan Sirhan. The Governor completed an extensive review of Mr. Sirhan’s case and determined that […]

OAKLAND, January 12, 2022 – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a lawsuit against The Aliera Companies (Aliera) and the Moses family – the family that founded Sharity Ministries, Inc. (formerly called Trinity Healthshare, Inc.), a nonprofit corporation that purported to be a health care sharing ministry (HCSM). Aliera, a for-profit corporation, created, operated, […]

OAKLAND – As part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today highlighted resources available to businesses and members of the public to help combat human trafficking and support survivors. California law requires certain businesses and establishments to post notices that provide information and resources for survivors and the public regarding human […]

LOS ANGELES, January 11, 2022 — As President Biden, Vice President Harris and advocates across the country continue to push for federal action to safeguard the freedom to vote, Equality California announced its endorsement of California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber on Tuesday. Secretary Weber is running for a full four-year term in […]

Speed is everything in the race against COVID-19’s Omicron variant, the fastest version of the virus we’ve seen to date. Its dizzying rise to dominance in the United States threatens to overwhelm our already beleaguered healthcare system, as physicians across the country grapple with how to treat their mounting caseloads. But a new lab test […]

SACRAMENTO, CA, January 10, 2022 — The California State Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators expressed deep dismay that Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget fails to provide any support to the county workers tasked with caring for the most vulnerable Californians in the midst of a growing crisis of homelessness across the […]

SACRAMENTO, January 10, 2022 – Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled his 2022-23 state budget proposal – the California Blueprint, a bold plan building on the state’s ongoing work to confront California’s greatest existential threats, bolster our strong economic growth and make historic investments in California’s future. The Blueprint proposes billions more to support the state’s robust […]

SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom’s Administration unveiled a proposed $2.7 billion COVID-19 Emergency Response Package – including a $1.4 billion emergency appropriation request – to bolster testing capacity, accelerate vaccination and booster efforts, support frontline workers, strengthen the health care system and battle misinformation. The Governor’s budget also calls for new legislation to implement supplemental paid sick […]

VANCOUVER, Wash. January 6, 2021 – Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study led by Washington State University researchers has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. – representing about 43 million people – were […]

Two new studies led by a North Carolina State University researcher offer a preview of what electricity consumers on the West Coast could experience under two different future scenarios: one where excessive heat due to climate change strains power supplies, and one where the grid shifts toward renewable energy while the climate follows historic trends. […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. January 4, 2021 – California consumers and hard-working families will have additional insurance protections under new laws now in effect in 2022. These include laws that provide new health coverage options for older adults being cared for by their adult children, expand requirements for medically necessary basic health care services including women’s reproductive […]

Yesterday, the California Court of Appeal upheld a decision to halt Bad Boys Bail Bonds’ debt collection efforts on $38 million dollars of contracts, affirming that the bail bond industry must follow consumer protection laws. This historic class action lawsuit on behalf of cosigners to bail contracts is one of the first to challenge a commercial bail bond company for violating consumer protection laws. Today’s […]

SACRAMENTO – Working aggressively to protect Californians from the winter storms impacting much of the state, Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement today on emergency response efforts now underway. “At my direction, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has activated the State Operations Center to monitor storm conditions and coordinate all necessary […]

John T. Earnest, a California man who entered the Chabad of Poway on April 27, 2019, opened fire and killed one woman, injured three others, and attempted to kill 50 others, was sentenced today in the Southern District of California to life followed by 30 years in prison for his crimes.  Earnest previously pleaded guilty […]