.... California has the largest population of residents who speak other languages at home. But even at the highest levels, the state has trouble providing language access to those seeking to participate in civic life. And the pattern holds for people trying to obtain government services and benefits at agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Down in the trenches of California’s seemingly perpetual clashes over housing, warring factions are employing two decades-old state laws as weapons.

One is the famous — or infamous — California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970, that requires authorities to determine whether proposed developments have environmental impacts that must be mitigated.

The state has eliminated all late traffic fines and dropped the price of existing fees for all Californians.

"We punish people extravagantly for traffic violations," said Rio Scharf, an attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. "Not just with fines, but also with a ton of mandatory fees." AB 199 - California Assembly (20212022) - Open States

Assembly Bill 199 aims to cut down costs - eliminating all traffic late fees imposed before July 1.

After a proposal to create a statewide Lunar New Year holiday was suspended in California’s legislature, San Francisco’s community college will discuss their own plans to make the popular Asian festival a campus day-off.

LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Californians are part of a coalition of community groups and state lawmakers pushing to stem a tide of hate crimes against API individuals and others that has been rising since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are focused this week on advancing two bills in the California Legislature collectively called the No Place for Hate Campaign.

Weeks after California approved sweeping legislation meant to drastically curb plastic pollution, some environmental groups and legislators are urging the state to go even further by approving a separate bill that targets waste generated by online shopping.

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The long-desired plan to rehaul Portsmouth Square in San Francisco’s Chinatown just got a boost from the state to help it cross the finish line.

Assembly Member Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, on Friday announced a $4 million state budget investment in the huge project to reconstruct and improve Portsmouth Square, an enterprise in the works since 2013.

For many Bay Area residents, driving across one of the region’s eight bridges is routine. These roadways serve as a crucial connection to the East Bay and elsewhere.

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The new system left many residents confused about how to pay their toll fees, and some of them accumulated debt through toll evasion penalties. In February 2020, a month before the pandemic triggered nationwide shutdowns, BATA saw 201,371 toll violations. In February 2022, there were 880,759 — an increase of over 400%.