CalMatters

Studies say 1 in 4 Californians lacks full access to banks and many pay big fees. A state commission is weighing how to provide public banking options, such as no-fee checking accounts.

As storms melt snowpack, managers released water to prevent reservoirs from overflowing and flooding Central Valley towns — and that sends water into the ocean. The warm rains melt snow that ideally would last into spring and help with water deliveries.

In his initial climate budget proposal, the governor has cut about $561 million from local coastal resilience projects. Legislators, cities express concerns.

He couldn’t find a parking spot for his specialized van at a San Diego lobster shop. The lawsuit that followed is a test of how California upholds disabled rights.

It’s not clear how the decision might affect those enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. Walgreens is a key provider of prescriptions for the program.

Workers who clean houses or take care of children and the elderly are in a class by themselves; they are not covered by state or federal workplace safety regulations. The exclusion has racist origins, advocates say.

In April, the state will resume its annual eligibility reviews for Medi-Cal. With some enrollees no longer qualifying or unaware they need to renew their coverage, officials estimate 2 million to 3 million people could lose their insurance.

California sends toxic soil to landfills in Utah and Arizona, including sites near Native American reservations. Will lawmakers step in to keep the waste in state?

California set up a fund to cut out-of-pocket costs for those enrolled in Covered California, but Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget shifts that money to other expenses.

Los Angeles and Oakland parents who received monthly cash without restrictions from new pilot programs said it did more than help them pay bills. What they gained, they said, was priceless — more time with their children.

State and local governments, and some private funders, are launching dozens of pilot projects making direct, monthly payments to low-income residents to help meet basic needs. Researchers will study what happens next. Key question: will this money add to, reform, or supplant current welfare programs?

California’s housing market is less affordable after mortgage interest rates drove up costs for many potential buyers last year.