California has allocated more than $20 billion to alleviate the state’s homelessness crisis since Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, but there’s precious little data on how the money was spent and what effect it’s had, other than the number of unhoused people has continued to climb. Despite the absence of hard information, Newsom has been highly critical … Read more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday officially signed the 2024 budget, closing a roughly $47 billion deficit for the state. Newsom’s signature was expected as he and Democratic lawmakers agreed on a spending plan last week. California’s Legislature approved most of the bills that make up the budget Wednesday night. The $298 billion spending plan … Read more
A first-of-its-kind orientation inside the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center last month helped illuminate what California can do to keep its prison population decreasing if lawmakers approve a budget cut that would close dozens of housing blocks statewide. The recent event, hosted by the People in Blue, a special incarcerated committee working to change the culture of California’s prison … Read more
What’s happening on the state budget this week — or, more accurately, not happening — is the latest chapter in a 15-year-long saga of manipulative Capitol politics. Sometime before Saturday night, the Legislature will pass what its leaders will claim is a state budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year that begins on July 1. Saturday … Read more
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Teachers Association have reached an agreement that would protect school funding and press pause on a rising feud between state officials and educators. When Newsom unveiled his budget revisions earlier this month, he proposed a maneuver that would impact Proposition 98, the 1988 voter-approved, constitutional mandate that guarantees minimum … Read more
A year ago, California’s three big investor-owned electric power utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric — proposed new fixed charges on their residential customers that would vary by income. Households making less than $69,000 a year would pay $20 to $34 a month, while those earning $69,000 … Read more
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political future could be determined by how he responds to Assembly Republicans’ call for a special legislative session to address California’s staggering budget shortfall. Newsom owns this mess. At the start of last year, he was bragging about the state’s $98 billion budget surplus. Last week, Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek warned that … Read more
