Category: Northern California

Oakland Eviction Moratorium Set to End July 15

The Oakland City Council approved a proposal on April 18 that will end Oakland’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium on July 15. The moratorium was put in place in March 2020 and protected tenants from evictions due to COVID-related rent debt. With the end of the moratorium, Oakland landlords will regain the power to evict tenants if…


Ex-officers at Federal Women’s Prison in California Plead Guilty to Multiple Sex Abuse Counts

SAN FRANCISCO—Two former officers of a federal women’s prison in California pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple counts of sexual abuse, the latest to be prosecuted following an Associated Press investigation last year resulting in prison sentences for the former warden and chaplain. Andrew Jones, a former cook supervisor at Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, pleaded…


California Legislature Considers Pilot Program to Use Cameras for Traffic Enforcement

A proposed five-year pilot program that calls for using traffic cameras to issue automatic tickets to speeding drivers traveling more than 10 miles per hour over the limit in California is close to approval in the state’s Legislature. Assembly Bill 645 passed a second Senate hearing in the Judiciary Committee July 11 after clearing the…


Newsom to Deliver Textbooks Rejected by Southern California School Board to Students

California will purchase and deliver copies of a social studies textbook to students in a local school district after district officials blocked the book because of ‘inappropriate’ content, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Temecula Valley Unified School board in southern California first gained the governor’s attention in May when it rejected a social studies…


California Puts Hold on Bill Requiring Big Tech to Pay for News Until 2024

A California bill that would require big tech companies to pay news outlets a journalism usage fee has been put on hold until 2024. Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), author of Assembly Bill 886, announced July 7 that the bill would be rescheduled to next year to allow more time for improvement. “I’ve agreed to make…


Californians Paying the Price for State’s Energy Policies on Cap-and-Trade: Critics

Critics of California’s cap-and-trade program, implemented 10 years ago with a goal of limiting carbon emissions, say it is increasing the cost of energy in the state while failing to fulfill its mission, as well as endangering vulnerable communities in the process. The program limits the amount of carbon produced by companies and requires those…


The End Is Near: California’s Last Eviction Moratorium Will Expire on July 31

Commentary For the last three years, countless ears have been deaf to the cries of injustice from property owners and landlords throughout California. They cry injustice over a well-intended eviction moratorium. A moratorium that has left behind a troubling void of millions in unpaid rents, the collateral damage of foreclosures, bankruptcies, and displaced landlords and…


Judge Dismisses Lawsuit by California Parent Who Claims School District ‘Socially Transitioned’ Child Without Notifying Her

A federal judge recently dismissed a lawsuit brought by a California parent who claimed her child’s school district failed to inform her of her daughter’s desire to change her pronouns and gender identity. Aurora Regino sued the Chico Unified School District in January, claiming school officials began “socially transitioning” her fifth-grade daughter without notifying her….


Public Pressure Forces California Committee to Reconsider, Pass Child Sex Trafficking Bill

After a child sex trafficking bill was killed by the Assembly Public Safety Committee July 11, pressure from the public, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and the governor led to an abrupt about-face July 13, with the committee passing the measure in a tense, one-minute meeting. Following a contentious debate on the floor…


Public Pressure Forces California Committee to Revive Child Sex Trafficking Bill

After a child sex trafficking bill was killed by the Assembly Public Safety Committee July 11, pressure from the public, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and the governor led to an abrupt about-face July 13, with the committee passing the measure in a tense, one-minute meeting. Following a contentious debate on the floor…