This deputy police chief was California's highest-paid public employee in 2025

California is running short on money. Should the state boost police and firefighter perks?

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The Legislature wants to make putting on a California police or firefighter uniform more lucrative. Three bills are moving forward that would either raise pay for state firefighters or boost retirement benefits for public safety personnel. Their supporters say the measures are meant []

As New Minimum Wages Take Effect, California’s Cities Keep Raising the Bar

Local governments are pushing wages above the state’s already high minimum, even as many workers still can't keep up with California's cost of living. The post As New Minimum Wages Take Effect, California’s Cities Keep Raising the Bar appeared first on .

California state workers fight Newsom’s return-to-office mandate

Gov. Gavin Newsom is barreling ahead with forcing California state workers back to the office, flatly rejecting calls to soften a return-to-work mandate that unions warn could trigger a “mass exodus” of employees. Starting July 1, roughly 100,000 state workers will be required to report to the office or the field four days a week, []...Click to read more

California threatens to fine farmers after destroying their fields

California has a habit of regulating residents into the dirt and then punishing them for being in the dirt. No one is forced to take it on the chin more than the state’s farmers. A new California law permits agricultural commissioners to hand out fines of 1,000 per acre for vineyards or orchards that are considered to []

California gas prices set for another hike on July 1: ‘Ridiculous’

California drivers will soon see another increase at the pump as the state’s gasoline excise tax rises again on July 1, adding to the cost of filling up in a state already among the nation’s highest fuel prices. The state excise tax will increase by 2.2 cents per gallon, bringing the total gas tax to []