CalMatters

A bill that would increase penalties for those who assault hospital emergency department workers is facing the same pushback that other recent tough-on-crime legislation has from progressive Democrats leery of increasing incarceration rates.

Doctors on the front lines of California’s homelessness and mental health crises are using monthly injections to treat psychosis in their most vulnerable patients.

California cities funnel $1 billion in online sales taxes back to wealthy corporations, but the state Senate killed a bill that would change the rules for those arrangements. The vote came down to whether senators represent a city with a major retailer in a tax-sharing agreement in their districts.

The latest bid to break up California is the brainchild of a real estate developer in San Bernardino County. It taps into growing resistance to the state’s liberal governance by more conservative residents.

California schools are using more chatbots, and teachers are using them to grade papers and give students feedback.

The state is directly investing money for low-income students and all newborns to attend college. After two years, the program is still not widely known by the students who need the most financial assistance.

A proposal to fix California’s insurance crisis would require the insurance department to process requests from insurers more quickly. But that could end with a lot of rate increases for consumers.

In the Inland Empire, Fontana is the latest California city to block a Planned Parenthood clinic, saying it’s studying putting an entertainment hub there.

The state auditor confirms that severe understaffing, poor training and other problems at the Labor Commissioner’s office are causing long delays in wage theft investigations.

Facing a deadline next month, top Democrats release their counter proposal to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget plan. They push back on some cuts that Newsom is seeking.

California has conflicting laws and court decisions on what judges should prioritize when setting bail. A case involving a homeless man with a long criminal record could resolve some uncertainty.

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin may be the Legislature’s top tech industry expert and its occasional champion. Now, she’s taking on tech over artificial intelligence.