In response to a statewide teacher shortage, a pair of California senators have introduced a bill that would exempt educators from paying state income tax after five years on the job. [Sac Bee] California is struggling to recruit and retain... (Continue reading)
Democratic California lawmakers unveiled a plan Monday that would create the nation’s most generous college aid system, covering living expenses as well as tuition. [LA Times] The new program would cost an estimated $1.6 billion a year when fully implemented.... (Continue reading)
With a declining birth rate and rising life expectancy, California’s population will be getting older over the next several decades. By the year 2060, more than one quarter of the state population is projected to be 65 years or older.... (Continue reading)
With Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump planning to repeal some, if not all, of Obamacare, California’s Democrat-controlled state government is considering the idea of instituting a state-run single-payer system that would operate like Medicare. [LA Times] A single-payer system... (Continue reading)
As a result of a new California law, numerous university students may miss an upcoming research conference in Tennessee and talks about a UC Berkeley-University of Kansas men’s basketball series have been called off. [LA Times] The law imposes a... (Continue reading)
A bill introduced in the California Legislature would make it possible for some bars and restaurants to extend last call for alcohol from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. [SF Chronicle] State Sen. Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) bill would give local... (Continue reading)
United States wine exports generated a record $1.62 billion in revenue for wineries in 2016. Ninety of the country’s wine exports came from California, according to the Wine Institute, a California wine industry advocacy group. The value of American wine... (Continue reading)
More than 180,000 Northern California residents received evacuation orders Sunday over fears that the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam will fail and possibly cause massive flooding. [Oroville MR] The Oroville Dam, which is 770 feet high, is the tallest... (Continue reading)
At a time when union membership is decreasing nationwide, participation in organized labor is rising in California. [OC Register] In 2016, there were 2.55 million union members in California, the highest total in the nation, according to a report released... (Continue reading)
California school districts will soon divert billions of dollars from classrooms in order to backfill pensions, education officials say. The skyrocketing pensions costs are expected to eat up much of California’s increased spending on education. [SF Chronicle] The school district... (Continue reading)