Social workers removed a 6-year-old girl from a Southern California home on Monday as the child’s foster parents and a crowd of supporters protested the move. A court order stated the girl’s Native American blood required social workers to place... (Continue reading)
By DANIEL BLACKBURN What would it mean if the state should ever assume responsibility for and control over the Paso Robles water basin? State officials have authority of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA) to act in cases... (Continue reading)
Editor’s Note: A video of San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson asking to give the state control of the Paso Robles basin follows the article. By DANIEL BLACKBURN One of the most outspoken advocates of a failed North County... (Continue reading)
Large reservoirs in Northern California are filling up as a result of recent rainfall. This week, both Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville passed their average levels for this point in the year. [LA Times] Lake Shasta, California’s largest reservoir, has... (Continue reading)
California has stiff rules against viewing state legislators’ emails, the results of recent record requests show. Many other states also make it difficult to obtain lawmakers’ emails. [OC Register] The Associated Press recently requested a week’s worth of calendar entries... (Continue reading)
A California assemblyman has introduced a bill that would ban state-funded travel to states that permit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The bill targets a host of states that have adopted religious freedom laws. [Sac Bee] Evan Low, a Democrat... (Continue reading)
Former Democratic State Sen. Leland Yee received a five-year prison sentence for vote selling. Yee was arrested in 2014 after an FBI sting caught him promising votes and guns to an undercover agent who was funneling him contributions. [LA Times]... (Continue reading)
Aided by billionaire backers, a marijuana legalization measure has emerged as a likely candidate to appear on the November ballot in California. [LA Times] Marijuana legalization advocates have filed more than 20 proposal for state ballot measures. Six of the... (Continue reading)
OPINION by STEVEN T. JONES I was struck by two things this week while witnessing the firing of the director of the California Coastal Commission: Dr. Charles Lester’s ouster should outrage all Californians who care about protecting our coast, and... (Continue reading)
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A new, wide-reaching state law ostensibly intended to “sustain” water basins throughout California actually opens the door to privatization of the Paso Robles aquifer, according to a recently released report. Writing for the Golden Gate University Environmental... (Continue reading)