News

More than 11 million arrest and conviction records have been wiped clean in the first six months of the implementation of a new California law, marking the largest expungement over that time period in the country’s history.

The mass expungement follows the years-long effort by lawmakers and voters dating back to 2016 — when marijuana was legalized in the state — to clear certain criminal records and open up employment and housing opportunities for Californians.

A proposed ban on “legacy admissions,” favorable treatment for college applicants whose parents were alumni or financial donors, hit a brick wall in the California Legislature in 2019. But the author of the measure says it’s time to take another look now that the Supreme Court has outlawed affirmative action for racial minorities at the nation’s colleges and universities.

Despite a massive budget shortfall, California will increase spending on financial aid for foster youth attending California colleges, and offer more housing support to young adults who live in high-cost areas of the state and are aging out of the child welfare system.  

... On the housing front, a bill to increase rent payments for young adults in extended foster care failed to make it through the Legislature, but was revived in the budget by San Francisco Democrat Assemblymember Phil Ting, who chairs the Assembly Budget Committee.

California saw several new laws take effect on July 1. Here is an overview at some of them. 

... TOLL PENALTY FEES

Let's face it, $15 doesn't go far in a city as pricey as Los Angeles.

Currently, that's the daily stipend a juror in California is paid for serving in a trial. And critics say, low jury pay is having a negative impact on the criminal justice system.

"We had been hearing from all of our justice partners that juries were trending towards being full of people of means and white people predominantly," says Anne Stuhldreher, who runs The Financial Justice Project at the city and county of San Francisco.

... All the while, the Student Coalition for Fair Admissions formed to keep the pressure up with protests, press conferences and organizing the student body. After previously adopting a name specifying Asian Americans, the group changed its name to expand the fight for other historically excluded students, Chang said.

Governments on both coasts of the U.S. want to persuade the small percentage of drivers who use the most gas to switch to electric vehicles – and some leaders are taking the first steps toward incentives to make it happen.

To help BART and other Bay Area transit agencies avoid cutting rail and bus service, a group of progressive state lawmakers is proposing raising tolls on seven state-owned bridges in the region.

Every Thursday at the Fairfield Farmers’ Market, many customers don’t pay for their fruits and vegetables with cash, credit card or Apple Pay. Instead, they go to the information booth, swipe their CalFresh EBT card and receive paper vouchers to spend on produce. 

Under Market Match, California food aid recipients get as much as $10 in matching money — meaning they have at least $20 to spend every week at their local farmers’ market. 

Still yet to strike a budget deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom, legislative Democrats have put their own spending priorities into a bill that they plan to pass this week ahead of a critical deadline.

The proposal, which was published online late Sunday, represents an agreement between the Democratic caucuses of the state Senate and Assembly, both of which hold supermajorities and can pass any measure without Republican support.