TRÂN NGUYỄN

An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
California consumer group sues to block insurers from adding surcharge following LA fires
A consumer advocacy group has filed a lawsuit to block insurers from charging California customers for $500 million in costs associated with the January Los Angeles wildfires.
 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his revised 2024-25 state budget during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California OKs $2.8B to close Medicaid funding gap after expanding immigrant coverage
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to provide $2.8 billion to close the budget hole in the state’s Medicaid program. The governor’s signing came Monday as part of the state’s solution to address the $6.2 billion gap.
 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California has a $6.2 billion Medicaid funding gap partly due to expanding immigrant coverage
California faces a $6.2 billion budget gap in the state’s Medicaid services. The shortfall could force Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers to roll back coverage for some of the 15 million people relying on the safety net program.
 
An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
California regulator mulls State Farm’s request for 22% premium hike for homeowners after LA fires
California’s top insurance regulator says he will approve an emergency request from State Farm to raise home insurance rates for roughly a million customers if the company can justify the hike at a public hearing.
 
Residences destroyed by the Eaton Fire line a neighborhood in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
California’s insurer for people without private coverage needs $1 billion more for LA fires claims
California’s plan that provides insurance to homeowners who can’t get private coverage needs $1 billion more to pay out claims related to the Los Angeles wildfires. That’s according to the state Insurance Department on Tuesday.
 
California Governor Gavin Newsom, right, surveys damage in Pacific Palisades with CalFire's Nick Schuler during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)
Newsom wants to speed up a delayed rule to make California homes more fire resistant
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will order state officials to advance implementation of a state rule aiming to make homes more fire resistant during wind-driven wildfire after years of delay. Newsom signed the order Thursday.
 
An aerial photo shows the charred homes of Louise Hamlin, center left, and Chris Wilson, center right, after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
LA wildfires highlight nation’s insurance crisis as homeowners try to recover lost homes
The nation’s growing home insurance crisis is in the spotlight as California homeowners begin the long road to rebuilding after the deadly Eaton and Palisades wildfires.
 
Louise Hamlin, left, and Chris Wilson, two neighbors who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, stand for a photo with the remains of their homes in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
LA neighbors have vastly different post-wildfire rebuilding options due to insurance crisis
Next-door neighbors lost their near-identical homes in a California wildfire, but how they are navigating rebuilding is a story of contrasting fortunes and unequal recovery, a stark reflection of the nation’s growing home insurance crisis.
 
The devastation from the Palisades Fire is shown in an aerial view in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
California considers letting victims of natural disasters sue oil companies for damages
California is considering a bill that would allow insurers and victims of climate-driven natural disasters to sue the oil industry for damages. State Sen.
 
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
California is years behind in implementing a law to make homes more fire resistant
California is years behind in implementing a 2020 law aiming to make it harder for homes to burn during a wildfire. It was slated to take effect in 2023, but the board tasked with developing the regulations has not finalized its guidelines.
 
A VW van sits among burned out homes, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
How the wildfires in the Los Angeles area could affect California’s home insurance market
The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace after many insurers stopped issuing residential policies due to the high fire risk.
 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom outlines his proposed 2025-2026 $322 billion state budget during a news conference at California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock, Calif., Monday, Jan. 6,2025. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
After 2 years of shortfalls, California governor proposes $322B budget with no deficit
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a $322 billion budget without a deficit. It’s a welcome change after two years of significant budget shortfalls in the nation’s most populous state.
 
A fire burns a house in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas
California will start requiring property insurers to increase coverage in wildfire-prone areas after homeowners across the state increasingly struggle to find policies.
 
California Attorney General Rob Bonta fields questions at a news conference in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sites
California lawmakers will consider a bill to require labels on social media platforms warning of their effects on young people’s lives. The legislation is sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta.
 
FILE - Assembly member Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, speaks on a bill at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California bill would allow public university admission priority for slaves’ descendants
California lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would require the state’s public universities to give admission priority to the descendants of slaves.
 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, talks with California Attorney General Rob Bonta during the assembly's Organizational Session in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
California lawmakers begin special session to protect state laws from second Trump presidency
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched his campaign to safeguard liberal values ahead of another Donald Trump presidency. State lawmakers convened Monday to swear in new members for the 2025 legislative session.
 
FILE - President Donald Trump talks with then California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, left, during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires in Paradise, Calif., Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
California governor calls special session to protect liberal policies from Trump presidency
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for state lawmakers to convene a special session in December to help safeguard the state’s progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration ahead of another Trump presidency.
 
Marsha Molinari of West Hollywood, Calif., holds a cell phone at a polling place at the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in West Hollywood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
California voters pass initiative to make some shoplifting and drug offenses felonies
California voters have approved a plan to borrow $10 billion for various climate programs. It will be the state’s largest investment to date in fighting climate change. It was among 10 statewide propositions on the California ballot Tuesday.
 
FILE - California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Minh Connors, File)
California sues LA suburb for temporary ban of homeless shelters
California has filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles suburb over the city’s recent moratorium on homeless shelters and temporary housing.
 
Neighbors and business owners join to support California's Proposition 36 on the November ballot at a news conference in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Californians’ crime concerns put pressure on criminal justice reform and progressive DAs
Ten years ago, 3.7 million Californians voted for a landmark measure that made many nonviolent crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies. They hoped it would lead to a more equitable criminal justice system and help end mass incarceration.
 
FILE - The exterior of the new Intuit Dome is seen during the LA Clippers' NBA basketball team's media day, Sept. 30, 2024, in Inglewood. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
Last call at 4 a.m. in California? Governor says yes for one private club in LA Clippers’ new arena
The last call for drinks is 2 a.m. in California, but a members-only club in the new Los Angeles Clippers’ arena might soon get an exception under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
 
Jasmine Acosta, 23, poses in front of the meat aisle at a Smart & Final grocery store in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jaimie Ding)
Is the food in the fridge still good? California wants to end the guessing game
California will soon help end the everyday household debate over whether the food in the fridge is still good to eat. The state is the first to ban food labels such as “sell by” or “best before” under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
California governor signs bills to protect children from AI deepfake nudes
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two proposals to crack down on harmful sexual imagery of children created by artificial intelligence tools.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Newsom vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models Sunday, Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
California governor vetoes bill to create first-in-nation AI safety measures
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
California governor vetoes bill requiring speeding alerts in new cars
California’s governor has vetoed a bill that would have required all new cars to beep at drivers when they speed. California would have been the first U.S. state to have such requirements. The measure was aimed at reducing traffic deaths. But Gov.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks with Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove, of Bakersfield, Calif., after giving his first State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California governor signs law increasing penalty for soliciting minors to a felony
The penalty for soliciting and buying sex from minors under 16 will be raised to a felony under a new California law signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Under current laws, soliciting a minor for sex is a misdemeanor offense.
 
Parents will have to set aside some earnings for child influencers under new California laws
Parents and guardians who profit from social media posts featuring their children will soon be required to set aside some earnings for the starlets. Gov.
 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a package of housing bills he signed into law during a press conference Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in San Francisco. (Ethan Varian/Bay Area News Group via AP)
California governor signs package of bills giving state more power to enforce housing laws
California cities will soon face more state scrutiny and new penalties for pushing back on housing and homeless shelter construction. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new laws Thursday.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the opening ceremony for Panda Ridge, the new exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, Aug. 8, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan, File)
California laws cracking down on election deepfakes by AI face legal challenges
California now has some of the strictest laws on election deepfakes. The state could be among the first to test out the new regulations ahead of the 2024 election.
 
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom meets with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and members of the California delegation at Oracle Park in San Francisco, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, Pool, File)
California governor signs laws to crack down on election deepfakes created by AI
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed three landmark bills Tuesday to crack down on political deepfakes ahead of the 2024 election.
 
Load More