If you believe newspapers play an essential role in strengthening democracy and holding powerful leaders accountable, now is the time to speak up about Assembly Bill 5. The bill, as currently written, could force many California newspapers out of business. It’s unlikely that Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, sought to create an existential threat to […]
Sacramento’s push for more rental housing downtown just got a solid boost. A Washington state developer on Wednesday launched construction of the first of an expected 436 apartments in two mid-rise structures at Sacramento Commons, a residential site tucked a few blocks southwest of the state Capitol. The project will contain the most units of […]
Bernie Sanders is coming to downtown Sacramento and not just any old spot in the heart of the capital city. Sanders is coming to Cesar Chavez Plaza on Thursday evening. Directly across from City Hall, Chavez Plaza is the home office of homelessness in the urban core of the capital of California. It’s where California […]
If it seems like it takes longer to get around Sacramento than it used to, it’s not just your imagination. The latest urban mobility report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute showed Sacramento-area residents had the 22nd-worst commute delays in the country, losing 59 hours in 2017 stuck in traffic. Since 1982, the amount of […]
Two groups of multibillion-dollar hedge funds are fighting over control of PG&E Corp. in a battle with huge implications for California’s largest electric utility and the thousands of wildfire victims who hold claims against the bankrupt company. What had been a quiet tug-of-war turned into a hostile takeover battle late Wednesday. PG&E’s major bondholders, in […]
Who can afford to live in California? A newly released Quinnipiac University poll found that just slightly more than half, or 53 percent, of Californians believe they can afford to live in the Golden State. Surveyors spoke to 1,125 California voters between July 10-15, with a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points. Pollsters found […]
Saying that a major development project places Auburn’s historic DeWitt Theater in danger of demolition, a citizens group has sued Placer County – a move that jeopardizes a plan for badly needed affordable housing, county officials say. The lawsuit, filed May 22 by Concerned Citizens for Community and Public Lands, challenges the Placer County Government […]
Everyone agrees there is a humanitarian crisis on the streets of California. But the homelessness population is not a monolith. It is a diverse set of individuals and families who ended up without a roof over their head for myriad reasons. Yet politicians across the state continue to point to the state’s housing crisis as […]
As we transition toward a clean energy economy, California must prioritize those most affected by the climate crisis. In our state, that means communities of color, who tend to be already overburdened with pollution and poverty. It also means that displaced and disadvantaged workers who stand on the precipice of a widening economic gap ought […]
Virginia Kidd has rented her apartment in midtown Sacramento for 12 years. The retired Sacramento State professor lives there with her cats and enjoys helping out at the local library. At 78, she said she has been lucky to age with minimal health issues so far, but she sometimes worries about what she would do […]
California lawmakers passed a $214.8 billion budget deal Thursday, with new spending on schools, homelessness and health care for undocumented immigrants. The budget relies on a surplus to add billions to the state’s reserves funds, which will bring the state’s total so-called rainy day fund to $19 billion. It puts hundreds of millions of dollars […]
Facing intense pressure to eliminate fire risks, PG&E said Wednesday night it plans to rebuild the electric distribution system in devastated Paradise with underground power lines. The utility, which has been blamed by California investigators for causing the Camp Fire, said the underground lines will make Paradise’s system safer. “As part of our commitment to […]
The highest-profile bill moving through the California Legislature aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis has effectively been killed for the rest of the year. Proposed by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, Senate Bill 50 would have rewritten zoning laws and forced local governments to allow taller apartment buildings and other multi-family complex near […]
A proposed California soda tax is dead for the year after the lawmaker running the bill announced Monday it’s being held in committee for the rest of 2019. Assemblyman Richard Bloom said his proposed 2 cent per fluid ounce tax on sugary drinks will become a “two-year bill,” meaning it could be taken up again […]
Bogged down by long customer wait times, California’s Department of Motor last fall tried to ease the pressure in its offices by sending license renewal notices much earlier than usual. It backfired. The DMV sent renewal notices to Californians 120 to 150 days before their licenses were scheduled to expire. But the department’s technology could […]