California fires back at ‘politically motivated’ EPA letter
By Alex Guillén 10/02/2020 10:05 AM EDT Updated: 10/02/2020 12:32 PM EDT California officials on Thursday sent a scathing response to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s criticisms of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s electric car executive order, saying the agency has engaged in “baseless mistruths” and accusing it of abdicating its responsibilities to humanity. Background: Newsom’s order issued last week would ban the […]
Appeals court swats request to pull California’s restrictions on religious gatherings
By Jeremy B. White 10/01/2020 06:00 PM EDT An appeals court has rebuffed a request to suspend California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s limitations on in- person worship, a measure put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order: In a 2-1 decision Thursday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Harvest Rock Church’s argument for […]
Newsom signals support for police decertification bill next year
By Alexander Nieves 10/01/2020 11:26 AM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom late Wednesday indicated support for a law enforcement decertification bill that legislative leaders say will be a priority for 2021 after a proposal failed to receive a floor vote this session. This year’s measure, CA SB731 (19R), would have created a system for rescinding the certificates […]
California companies must report employee pay by race, gender under new law
By Mackenzie Hawkins 09/30/2020 11:55 PM EDT Beginning in January, California companies with more than 100 employees must report pay data for all employees broken down by race, ethnicity and gender, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Wednesday. The bill: CA SB973 (19R), by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), requires companies to report the […]
Newsom vetoes bill focused on school funding for at-risk students
By Mackenzie Mays 09/30/2020 11:35 PM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have required California to better track its school funding process in an attempt to ensure that dollars intended for at-risk students actually reach them. The governor said he instead wants to work through the budget process next year to have […]
California raises bar for county reopening by adding ‘equity’ requirement
By POLITICO California Staff 09/30/2020 08:58 PM EDT The state Department of Public Health is adding a new “equity metric” that counties must meet to advance to a less restrictive coronavirus tier, officials announced Wednesday afternoon. Under the new rule, larger counties must now show that their most disadvantaged neighborhoods also have declining infection numbers in […]
Newsom signs racial justice bills on corporate board diversity, reparations, courts
By Alexander Nieves09/30/2020 05:31 PM EDT Updated: 09/30/2020 05:42 PM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed bills aimed at addressing systematic racism in California’s court system and corporate boardrooms, as well as studying reparations for African Americans. Impact: Lawmakers said during a virtual bill-signing event that they introduced many proposals before the Minneapolis police killing […]
Newsom bans new gas cars — and begs Trump for a fight
By Colby Bermel , Carla Marinucci , Alex Guillén09/23/2020 01:36 PM EDT Updated: 09/23/2020 09:24 PM EDT SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state Wednesday to ban new gas vehicles within 15 years, a rebuke to President Donald Trump and other federal leaders already challenging the state’s strict fuel economy rules. Newsom made […]
U.S. Forest Service closes all 18 California national forests due to wildfire risks
By Colby Bermel 09/09/2020 06:11 PM EDT All 18 national forests in California will be closed starting at 5 p.m. PT, the U.S. Forest Service said Wednesday. Impact: The announcement came as catastrophic wildfires continue to burn in national forests and state parks in California, with the destruction totaling 2.5 million scorched acres, 3,700 destroyed buildings […]
Feds, California strikes $1.5B deal with Daimler over emissions allegations
By Alex Guillén 09/14/2020 03:50 PM EDT German automaker Daimler will pay a total of $1.5 billion to settle allegations lodged by the federal government and California regarding its emissions cheating on more than a quarter-million vehicles sold in the U.S. The settlement makes Daimler the latest automaker to agree to major penalties over unlawful […]
