Category: Northern California

Newsom Grants Millions to Address Homeless Crisis After Encampment Fire Leaves One Dead

A day after a homeless encampment fire in San Francisco left one dead last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced how $50 million in state grants will be doled out to various communities in the state to help provide housing. “California is taking on the unacceptable status quo with a historic response to house thousands…


California Lawmakers Target Factory Farms and Slaughterhouses

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Factory farms and slaughterhouses that expand existing operations or build new facilities could face fines up to $10,000 per day under new legislation that could be heard in committee on March 21. Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian (D-Van Nuys) and Alex Lee (D-San Jose), who authored Assembly Bill 2764, said putting a halt to commercial animal…


Economist: Gas to Reach $7 a Gallon in California

Gas prices in California could soon reach $7 a gallon as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and other factors, according to one state economist. Gokce Soydemir, an economics professor at California State University, Stanislaus, told The Epoch Times Californians should expect to pay a lot more at the pump, while inflation will easily…


Newsom Seeks to Halt State’s Pension Investments in Russia

SACRAMENTO—As tensions rise over Russia’s war with Ukraine, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to halt the state’s top pension funds investments with Russia. Newsom sent a letter (pdf) on Feb. 28 asking the leaders of the state’s three top pension funds—which jointly hold $970 billion in funds, according to the governor’s office—to halt the…


Five Dead as Man Kills Three Children and Himself in California Church

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A man shot and killed his three children and a fourth person before taking his own life on Monday in an outburst of gun violence that unfolded in a church near California’s capital, police said. Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Rod Grassmann told reporters near the scene that investigators were seeking clues to a…


Man Shoots and Kills 3 Daughters, 1 Other, and Himself at California Church

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A man shot and killed his three daughters, their chaperone, and himself during a supervised visit with the girls Monday at a church in Sacramento, California, authorities said. Deputies responding to reports of gunfire around 5 p.m. found five people dead, including the shooter, at the church in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, said Sgt. Rod…


Tribe Grapples With Missing Women Crisis on California Coast

YUROK RESERVATION, Calif.—The young mother had behaved erratically for months, hitchhiking and wandering naked through two Native American reservations and a small town clustered along Northern California’s rugged Lost Coast. But things escalated when Emmilee Risling was charged with arson for igniting a fire in a cemetery. Her family hoped the case would force her…


California Bill Would Provide Free Meals to All Preschoolers

California lawmakers are seeking to provide free school lunches for daycare providers—expanding upon the state’s meal program that will make breakfast and lunch free for K–12 students. Sen. Josh Becker (D-Peninsula) introduced Senate Bill (SB) 1481 on Feb. 18 that, if passed, would require the state to provide reimbursement for two meals daily for daycare…


California, Oregon and Washington to End Mask Mandates in Schools

In a coordinated move, governors of California, Oregon, and Washington announced on Monday that students in the three West Coast states will soon no longer have to wear a mask at school. Starting on March 12, public health departments in all three states will update their indoor mask policies and “move from mask requirements to…


California to Lift Mask Mandate Tuesday, March 12 for Schools

California is lifting its mask mandate on Tuesday for unvaccinated people in most indoor settings, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday. The state’s K-12 school mask mandate will be lifted on March 12. Masks will then be “strongly recommended,” rather than required, for all individuals indoors. “California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data and…