Weekly Update 3/18/24

California

On Thursday, 3/14, the Insurance Department released draft rules allowing property insurers to use forward-looking models to set rates…

California is moving toward extending the application deadline for state financial aid because of the trouble-plagued rollout of the new federal student aid application…

On Thursday, 3/14, State Senate leaders said they’ll take early action to cut the state’s yawning budget deficit by $17 billion…

A standalone school facilities bond would likely pass in California but may not be as popular as an August survey suggested, according to new polling from an education advocacy organization…

A coalition opposed to Gov. Newsom's effort to overhaul California's mental health system conceded defeat Tuesday, 3/12…

President and Administration

The state judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal case in Georgia has thrown out six of the indictment’s 41 charges…

President Biden has expressed concern to aides that the high cost of housing is undermining his economic pitch to voters…

President Biden is hearing warnings from Democratic strategists and White House allies that a potential TikTok ban could have serious consequences for youth engagement this fall…

More than two in five voters - 43 percent - now say immigration is one of their top issues, falling only behind inflation…

Education

In a major development for student privacy and school safety observers, the Department of Justice recently announced it reached a settlement with the Pasco County, Florida, school district after an investigation…

President Biden's budget includes an $8 billion academic recovery proposal that could help schools pay for tutoring and other programs…

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) plan to introduce legislation tomorrow that would establish a new Department of Justice grant for after-school programs…

Young students have made less progress in reading this year than they did earlier in the post-pandemic period, according to new data…

School board members can block constituents on social media only if they’re commenting on issues completely outside of their authority or sharing personal information…

Dozens of civil rights and education groups are demanding the Biden administration address a rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and big data technology in K-12 schools…

Infrastructure and Transportation Update - February 2024

California

Rep. Adam Schiff on Thursday, 2/15, proposed ending federal subsidies for oil and gas production, offering federal wildfire insurance and requiring insurance companies to disclose their fossil fuel investments…

Excessive speed is a factor in over 12,000 annual deaths in the US, or roughly a third of all crash fatalities…

A couple of blocks from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Electrify America is about to open an indoor charging station that lets drivers relax in a lounge while their electric vehicle batteries are being filled up…

Visibility will soon improve at California’s intersections once enforcement begins on the state’s new "daylighting" law…

A Bay Area lawmaker is proposing a new bill aimed at ensuring that bridges throughout the state remain toll-free for pedestrians and cyclists…

President and Administration

Cities with vibrant biking scenes often boast safer streets for everyone…

A key selling point of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law was that it would help create jobs for more Americans…

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and clean power could save infants’ lives and help millions of children breathe easier, according to new research from the American Lung Association…

Weekly Update 3/11/24

2024 Election Watch

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers star, will advance to the November runoff election…

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced Wednesday, 3/6, that she is exiting the Republican presidential race…

California

Permitting of new oil wells will remain paused in Kern County after a state appellate court ruled Thursday, 3/7, that the county still hasn’t met California Environmental Quality Act requirements…

Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a brief Monday, 3/4, in a U.S. Supreme Court case that could determine how California addresses urban homelessness encampments…

California lacks anywhere near enough homeless shelters for everyone living on the street…

California lawmakers are looking for simple ways to stem a rising crisis in electricity affordability, and they’re not finding them…

On Thursday, 3/7, California regulators approved a program to help ride-booking drivers purchase electric vehicles, despite pushback from industry and labor groups over who should administer the fund and how much it should pay out…

Five firefighters were hospitalized Saturday, 3/9, after a massive fire broke out at a two-story downtown commercial building that was housing an illegal cannabis operation, authorities said…

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has recommended ending a pilot program that sends mental health workers to non-emergency calls, saying it didn’t actually free up first responders and hospital emergency rooms…

Weeks after announcing a plan to address retail theft in California, Assembly Democrats on Thursday, 3/7, unveiled the bill specifics…

President and Administration

This report includes innovative ways to use braided funding for substance use disorder (SUD) services to help optimize resources, improve patient outcomes, promote funding sustainability, and address service gaps…

President Biden turned his 2024 State of the Union address into a fiery argument for his second term, hitting his campaign highlights…

President Biden released his annual budget request today, outlining his funding ambitions for the fiscal year set to kick off on October 1…

On Tuesday, 3/5, President Biden established a new Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing co-chaired by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)…

Congress

The Senate’s top Republican tax writer said Thursday, 3/7, that he’s unsure whether a long-sought tax deal now before lawmakers will pass Congress…

Education

More than 40 education advocacy organizations have teamed up to fight longstanding residency requirements that tie children to their local public schools — rather than letting them transfer to places that might serve them better…

Since the start of the pandemic, the number of students with disabilities who are chronically absent from Minneapolis Public Schools has doubled or nearly doubled in more than a third of schools…

Weekly Update 3/4/24

Appropriations

Congressional leaders released bill text yesterday afternoon of half a dozen spending measures, a critical step toward funding the government after months of political turmoil spurred by House conservative demands to slash federal budgets…

2024 Election Watch

Today, 3/4, the Supreme Court unanimously restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state attempts to ban the Republican former president over the Capitol riot…

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won her first GOP presidential nominating contest Sunday, 3/3, notching a victory in the Washington, D.C., primary, a win her campaign hopes will spark some momentum ahead of this week’s Super Tuesday contests…

California

Nearly half of Californians say it is difficult to tell if a cannabis retailer is licensed or not, according to a poll conducted by FM3 Research and released Monday, 2/26, by California’s Department of Cannabis Control…

By the end of the year, Californians may be able to get cheap overdose-reversal medication without a prescription…

California is in the midst of making behavioral health care more accessible, but there aren’t enough people to treat everyone…

President and Administration

On Thursday, 2/29, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing a series of new action that will…

The White House plans to announce a new federal task force focused on easing health care costs, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter…

Americans ages 65 and older should receive an additional dose of the latest COVID-19 vaccine this spring, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday, 2/28…

The longstanding recommendation that people isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID-19 is no more…

 The evidence is mounting that your daily toke can be bad for your heart…

Vice President Harris announced key steps to lower the cost of childcare for working families and better support early educators, consistent with the President’s historic Executive Order on Care…

Congress

One big question hangs over federal tax policy right now — will the Senate pass a rare bipartisan tax bill or will that measure become another victim of Hill gridlock?…

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he will fast-track a package of kids’ online safety bills for a Senate floor vote this week…

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Wednesday, 2/28, that he will not run for another term as leader, ending a record-setting run atop the GOP conference…

Education

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, nearly 70 percent of profiled school shooters perpetrated acts of violence against women, including intimate partner violence and sexual assault…

According to a study of 21 nurses from the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, students who have many partial-day absences often seek out school nurses as a source of comfort and support…

Students who are exposed to violence at school tend to feel less safe, but a new study suggests that lockdown drills and training – designed to prepare students and teachers for a school shooting – may help mitigate those fears…

The Miami Archdiocese’s superintendent of schools says Catholic education is increasingly in demand in South Florida, now that all K-12 students regardless of income are allowed to use taxpayer-funded programs to pay for private school tuition…

Public Safety and Justice Update: 3/1/24

A divided Supreme Court struggled with the legality of a federal ban on bump stock devices, which allow semi automatic rifles to fire hundreds of bullets per minute…

Apparent strangers exchanged angry words and threats that ended in the deadly Super Bowl parade shooting in Kansas City…

Last month, the general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge announced the completion of a suicide barrier — stainless steel netting that extends 20 feet out from the walkway for the length of the bridge, making a jump into the water below extraordinarily difficult…

San Francisco Chronicle reporters spent a year identifying and examining fatal chases, finding that at least 3,336 people died in pursuits in the U.S. over the six years ending in 2022…

A jury found that the National Rifle Association (NRA)’s former leader, Wayne LaPierre, used the group’s funds to pay for lavish personal expenses, including vacations and luxury flights. failed in their duties to the nonprofit organization…

Under a new California law, AB 2188, police are among workers who are protected against employer discipline or termination for using marijuana…

Two more San Jose Police Department (SJPD) police officers — including one who has long since left the agency — have been named as participants in a series of racist texts with a disgraced SJPD officer who abruptly resigned last fall…