In summary State workplace safety officials plan to protect employees from indoor heat this summer. But due to cost concerns, a separate rule is in the works for state prisons that will take more time. California workplace safety officials will try again to pass a long-delayed rule to protect indoor workers from extreme heat this summer — other than correctional officers and other prison staff. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, announced today that it plans to revise a proposed indoor heat rule for all workers statewide to carve out “state and local correctional f ..read more

In summary Democratic Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal wants to give school administrators the authority to suspend students for cyberbullying after his daughter was sent a swastika in social media. Will the bill run afoul of recent reforms to make schools less punitive? Lea esta historia en Español In response to his daughter receiving a swastika on social media, a California Jewish lawmaker is pushing for a bill that would give school administrators authority to suspend or expel students if they cyberbully fellow students away from school and outside of school hours.  But Long Beach Ass ..read more

In summary Republican Steve Garvey and Democrat Adam Schiff each raised more than $3 million between Feb. 15 and March 31. But Schiff started April with $4.8 million on hand — triple the amount in Garvey’s bank. Vying to become California’s next U.S. senator, Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey each raised more than $3 million between Feb. 15 and March 31, according to the latest federal campaign finance reports filed today. But Schiff has maintained a fundraising edge, shelling out $12.5 million during those six weeks — almost five times what Garvey spent in the same period. T ..read more

In summary The media personality and socialite is crusading against abuse of teens at treatment facilities and wants California legislators to pass a bill. It was a somber, and at times tearful, gathering today as legislators and advocates promoted a bill to hold behavioral treatment centers for teens more accountable. Most of the attention was focused on one (some might say, unexpected) speaker: The hotel heiress, socialite and media personality Paris Hilton. Hilton is the latest celebrity to utilize their fame (or as she said “shine my spotlight”) to persuade the Legislature to change sta ..read more

In summary Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley jointly sue the city over its new voting requirement. Local voters approved the city charter change in March. Lea esta historia en Español California is taking Huntington Beach to court again — this time over a change to its city charter adopted last month by local voters that would allow the city to require voter identification in municipal elections. Conservative city officials in Huntington Beach pushed for voter ID, a popular policy in Republican states, to address concerns from constituents about election integrity th ..read more

In summary A state senator says a legal team, similar to what the Legislature has, could help state agencies avoid flawed regulations and make compliance and enforcement easier. California’s Legislature has a team of attorneys who help draft bills. State agencies need the same to avoid flawed regulations, says Sen. Roger Niello.  Niello introduced Senate Bill 1104 — based on an idea from veteran lobbyist Chris Micheli — that would establish an Office of Regulatory Counsel in the governor’s office to draft regulations until 2035.  Currently, the 600 or so regulations proposed each ..read more

In summary Financial disclosures show that state lawmakers were showered with more than $330,000 in gifts, plus more than $1.1 million in travel sponsored by interest groups. That total last year is 28% higher than in 2022. Lea esta historia en Español Last June, more than half of California’s lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike, with no particular ideological preference — attended a celebratory gala for new Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. They left with a gift: A personally engraved box worth $85.94. These gifts are documented in financial disclosures that elected officials in Calif ..read more

In summary Two candidates seeking to become state senator for a new Inland Empire district say they’re avoiding culture war clashes to focus on bread-and-butter issues. Lea esta historia en Español Soon after the March primary, state Senate candidate Lisa Middleton pitched her vision for Inland Empire transportation to the Pass Democratic Club in Beaumont. “We’ve not built the roadways we need to serve the growing population,” she said, referring to chronic congestion on Interstate 10.  Middleton, a Palm Springs City Council member and former mayor, won applause describing how she secu ..read more

In summary Tenants in many new privately owned, low-income units will be protected from double-digit increases. So will some in existing units, after a state committee on affordable housing imposed a rent cap. Lea esta historia en Español Many landlords providing new low-income housing in California won’t be able to increase the rent on their tenants by more than 10% per year, under a rule imposed this week by a state committee. The cap, passed Wednesday by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, affects all future developments built with the help of Low Income Housing Tax Credits ..read more

In summary Because two candidates finished in an exact tie for second place, three Democrats will advance to the November election in the 16th Congressional District. It’s the first competitive three-way runoff since California adopted the top two system in 2012. Lea esta historia en Español Whoever didn’t vote in a U.S. House primary in Silicon Valley may have helped make history. Tied for second place in the March 5 primary with exactly 30,249 votes each, Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian are both advancing to the November general election, joining top ..read more