Labor

In response to the COVID pandemic, many workplaces shifted from in-person to virtual communications, including state government offices. But as the impact of COVID-19 continues to wane, CalMatters’ politics reporter Alexei Koseff found that officials and their media offices in some ways remain just as inaccessible to the press. Before the pandemic, reporters could attend […]

More than 1,400 youth migrants have benefited from a statewide pilot program that provides social services once they've been placed with a sponsor or family. Despite its success, the program is scheduled to end this year unless lawmakers decide to reinvest in it.

From CalMatters’ politics reporter Alexei Koseff: Whatever lingering concerns legislative Democrats may have about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recently revised proposal to punish oil companies for high gas prices, they seem ready to pass it anyway — and fast. The bill sailed through its first committee hearing Wednesday, a week after Newsom’s office announced major changes […]

It takes the state nearly 800 days — four times longer than is legal — to handle wage claims. Lawmakers ordered an audit to start Sept. 1, if agency issues aren’t addressed by then.

A California appellate court ruling added a new twist to the legal and political battle over the status of gig workers, which dates back to 2004. However, the conflict is likely just shifting to another arena.

An appeals court ruled Monday in favor of companies that want to classify some workers as independent contractors, saying that Proposition 22 is mostly constitutional.

From CalMatters politics reporter Alexei Koseff: ​​For months, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have been projecting optimism in the face of a grim budget picture. At a press conference in January where he unveiled his plan to deal with a projected $22.5 billion deficit next year, Newsom assured Californians: “We are keeping our promises.” […]

A 2022 study revealed that child care workers in California are paid just 25-30% of the cost of providing care. The inadequate pay has racist roots, and workers in this crucial industry are demanding action from state leaders.

If you want to see two diametrically opposed views of what California lawmakers have done and should be doing or not doing, look no further than a new poll and a new legislative scorecard. On one hand, a survey out Monday from the National Federation of Independent Business found that overwhelming majorities of California small […]

State legislators sometimes exempt themselves from the laws they pass, but this session, they could change course on an emblematic bill: To allow their own staffers to form a union.