California Legislature

Five different measures to ban claw declawing surgery have died in the Legislature since 2018. Lawmakers are trying again this year, despite lobbying by state veterinarians.

A new bill would require teens up to 16 years old to ride in the back seat if they’re not tall enough. Middle schoolers up to age 13 would need to use booster seats if they’re tiny.

Some reparations advocates are pulling their support of California's Legislative Black Caucus agenda. It signals a growing rift in the movement, and allowed one of the Capitol's most controversial figures to pounce.

The dynamics of California's Capitol haven't changed much in the last 50 years. In fact, many conflicts from 1975 can still be found in bills this year.

State lawmakers have introduced at least a dozen proposals that would make it harder to confront local officials at public meetings, shield more information from the public and relax rules on financial reports.

Flat-free contracts for public defense attorneys are barred in many states, yet 15 California counties use this format for representing defendants who can't pay for one. The problem? It creates a disincentive to spend money fighting criminal charges.

California’s political watchdog is fining former Assemblymember Evan Low $106,000 for campaign finance violations after he admitted trying to conceal payments to actor Alec Baldwin, who appeared at a 2020 fundraiser for Low.

California’s governors and legislators have a number of irritating habits, but the worst is their tendency to enact sweeping programs or policy decrees without weighing the risks.

The number of people registered to petition California's elected and appointed officials and its agencies has tripled in the past decade. California's budget is one reason why.

California is the only state that doesn’t allow any tax exemptions on military retirement income. New bills aim to do that, but analysts say the financial incentive may be too small to get veterans to stay in California.