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California in Focus — News
California in Focus

The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of California from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.

Copyright: © America's Talking Network

Latest Episodes:

Small Businesses Say They Have to Pay California $20 an Hour Fast-Food Wage, Too Apr 13, 2024

Show notes

California’s $20 per hour fast food minimum wage effectively creates a new statewide minimum wage, businesses say, and could lead small businesses to shut down as they struggle with rising costs and competing with large, corporate fast-food franchises for workers. Small businesses are “still clawing back from the pandemic. A lot of folks are barely breaking even, not to mention all the costs that have increased around what it takes to run a business,” said Megan Gamble, California Restaurant Association Vice President, to The Center Square. “There are all these pressures these businesses are under so these little mom and pop shops are the ones with even more limited resources to address increasing labor costs.”

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_bc06fc9e-f82c-11ee-90f0-a310cb158e04.html

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California Spends Big, but Can’t Tell if Programs Work as Homelessness Skyrockets Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

According to an audit, California is not sufficiently tracking homelessness program costs and outcomes. The state has not evaluated program’ success in addressing homelessness, and only two of the five of the state homelessness programs assessed are likely to be cost effective. The other three could not be assessed due to lack of data. The audit was called for by Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, in conjunction with Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, and State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_06849bc8-f77e-11ee-843f-af92c37c2c17.html

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California Housing Permitting Collapses 45% From 2022 to 2023 Apr 06, 2024

Show notes

California housing permitting collapsed 45% from 135,565 homes in 2022 to just 74,720 in 2023, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s data at time of the story’s publication. Housing experts say rising interest rates are largely to blame for the phenomenon as rising construction costs and interest payments make fewer projects pencil out for developers. With the state facing a 4.5 million home housing shortage, it will take over 60 years at current permitting levels to overcome the housing shortage.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_652d63ba-f2d5-11ee-b0d9-73c231768b27.html

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Newsom Unveils New Water Plan, Water Allocations Still Only 30% of Normal Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

California Gavin Newsom unveiled his new water plan and projects that forecasted delivery of state aqueduct water allocations will reach only 30% of requested water. Water experts warn that drought-level allocations despite above-average rain and snow for the last two years will lead to more groundwater pumping, delaying recharging of the state’s depleted aquifers, underground reservoirs of last resort. The California Department of Water Resources says the state’s reservoirs are at “115 percent of average for this time of year” but that the state aqueduct system will provide “delivery of 30 percent of requested supplies to contractors south of the Delta, which accounts for the majority of contractors; 50 percent of requested supplies to contractors north of the Delta; and an anticipated 100 percent allocation to Feather River Settlement Contractors.”

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_262f5d88-f20a-11ee-a33a-2382d07ee7ed.html

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California Attorney General Defends Naming of Transgender-Focused Ballot Measure Mar 30, 2024

Show notes

In response to a lawsuit by a parent activist group who placed a ballot measure to change statewide educational policies for transgender minors, California Attorney General Rob Bonta backed his office’s naming of the controversial initiative. Parent activist group Protect Kids California is currently collecting signatures for what it calls the Protect Kids of California Act of 2024, which would require schools to notify parents if children request to be treated as a different gender, block transgender females from participating in female sports, and mandate that students participate in activities and use school facilities consistent with their birth genders. The attorney general’s office, which state law empowers to issue official titles and summaries for proposed initiatives, named the measure the “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth Initiative,” and will soon go to trial against PKC on April 19 for this name.

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California Bill Targets ‘Hate Littering’ as Speech Advocates Raise Concerns Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

A new California bill ostensibly designed to punish “hateful messaging” could threaten constitutionally protected free speech. AB 3024, proposed by Assembly member Chris Ward, D-San Diego, as a bill to “curb hate littering,” would expand the state’s definition of “intimidation by threat of violence” in the state's civil code to include “distribution of hateful materials on the private property of another without authorization for the purpose of terrorizing … in reckless disregard of the risk of terrorizing the owner or occupant of that private property.” The bill defines “terrorizing” as causing “a person of ordinary emotions and sensibilities to fear for personal safety.” Those who commit hate littering could be sued in civil court by victims for “actual damages suffered … and, in addition, exemplary damages, a civil penalty of $25,000, and attorney’s fees.”

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California Secures Automaker Agreements to Guarantee State Emissions Standards Mar 23, 2024

Show notes

California signed a new agreement with Big Three automobile manufacturer Stellantis to advance the state’s zero-emission goals even if the EPA or a future president takes away the state’s unique environmental regulatory authority. Under the agreement, Stellantis will reduce emissions by 10 to 12 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the emissions produced by 2.3 million vehicles driving a whole year. This agreement, which mirrors earlier agreements signed with major medium and heavy duty vehicle manufacturers earlier this year, along with a 2020 agreement with some light duty and passenger vehicle manufacturers in the wake of the Trump EPA’s 2019 revocation of the state’s waiver to regulate greenhouse emissions.

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California Narrowly Passes $12.7 Billion Bond on Homeless Housing, Treatment Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

California voters narrowly passed a $12.7 billion bond for building more mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities and homeless housing. With only 108,000 ballots left to count, the measure leads by 50.2% to 49.8%, or a 29,000 vote lead, suggesting a nearly guaranteed passage for Proposition 1. The measure goes hand in hand with other legislation the governor passed, SB 43, to change the state’s conservatorship laws. SB 43 expanded conservatorship — when the state appoints someone to oversee one’s care — to include people who are unable to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care, in addition to food, clothing, or shelter, due to either severe substance use disorder or serious mental health illnesses.

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California Dems Propose $2.1 Billion Budget Cut to Address $73 Billion Deficit Mar 16, 2024

Show notes

California Democrats proposed a mere $2.1 billion budget cut against a $73 billion deficit for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Combined with a $12.2 billion deployment from the state’s rainy day fund, Democrats expect to reduce the shortfall anywhere from $8.6 billion to $23.6 billion, based on their use of a $53 billion deficit figure, not the $73 billion deficit reported by the state-run, non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

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Federal Court Strikes Down California Law Limiting Gun Buys to One per Month Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

A federal district court struck down California’s law limiting gun purchases to one every 30 days, citing unconstitutionality. The district court judge placed a 30 day stay on the ruling to give the state a chance to appeal. U.S. District Court Judge William Hayes based his ruling on NYSRPA v. Bruen, a U.S. Supreme Court case that created a new standard for Second Amendment decisions. Under Bruen, “When the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct,” and the government “must then justify its regulation by demonstrating that it is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

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