EPA to roll back Obama-era fuel economy standards

Environmental regulators announced on Monday they will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Barack Obama was not appropriate and set standards "too high." Automakers applauded Monday's decision, arguing that the current requirements would have cost the industry billions of dollars and raised vehicle prices due to the cost of developing the necessary technology.

Trump administration sues California over sales of US land

The Trump administration is suing Cal... . FILE - In this March 7, 2018, file photo, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions addresses the California Peace Officers' Association at the 26th annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day in Sacramento, Calif.

California Department of Justice Steps in to Provide Independent…

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced that the California Department of Justice will be stepping in to provide independent oversight of the investigation into the shooting death of Stephon Alonzo Clark. During a press conference with Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and Sacramento community leaders, Attorney General Becerra pledged that the California DOJ will lend its experience to ensure a fair and impartial investigation.

Census question draws protest

The Trump administration's decision to ask people about their citizenship in the 2020 census set off worries among Democrats on Tuesday that immigrants will dodge the survey altogether, diluting political representation for states that tend to vote Democratic and robbing many communities of federal dollars.

State’s two-headed monster takes on federal supremacy

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Gov. Jerry Brown are contorting themselves into knots - like they're following some kind of political Kama Sutra - over President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. An assistant secretary for administration at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare named Rufus E. Miles described this kind of phenomenon with what is now known as "Miles' Law" on political behavior, which states, "where you stand depends on where you sit."

Adding citizenship question to census drawing protests

The Trump administration's decision to ask people about their citizenship in the 2020 census set off worries among Democrats on Tuesday that immigrants will dodge the survey altogether, diluting political representation for states that tend to vote Democratic and robbing many communities of federal dollars. Not since 1950 has the census collected citizenship data from the whole population, rather than just a population sample, says the Congressional Research Service.

States vow to fight U.S. plan to ask citizenship question on census

New York, California and other states vowed on Tuesday to stop the U.S. government from asking in the 2020 census whether people are citizens, arguing the question could stop immigrants from participating and skew the makeup of Congress. The U.S. Census Bureau decided to include the citizenship question in the once-a-decade questionnaire, saying an accurate count of citizens would help protect minority rights under the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, according to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Decision to add citizenship question to census draws protest

In this Oct. 12, 2017, file photo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appears before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to discuss preparing for the 2020 Census, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Commerce Department says the 2020 U.S. Census will include a question about citizenship status.

GOP-led states back Trump in California ‘sanctuary’ lawsuit

Texas and more than a dozen other states led by Republican governors got behind the Trump administration on Monday in its lawsuit over California's so-called sanctuary laws that protect people in the U.S. illegally. California's laws are designed to interfere with or block federal immigration enforcement but the state does not have that authority, the other states said in a court filing in the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against California.

California farmers, winemakers kick dirt over Chinese tariffs

California's vintners and growers fumed Friday at the growing prospect that wine, nuts, fruit and other Golden State exports would become collateral damage in a trade battle between President Trump and China. The $47-billion industry, which largely backed Trump, has been buffeted repeatedly as the Trump administration has halted or reopened trade talks and proposed punitive tariffs aimed at protecting American jobs.

Newsom leads and Cox in second in new poll of California governor’s race

With 75 days to go before the June 5 primary election, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to lead the field for governor, while former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has fallen into third place, overtaken by a Southern California Republican, according to a new poll.

First woman, LGBT lawmaker to lead California Senate

Sen. Toni Atkins became the first woman and first LGBT person to lead the California Senate on Wednesday, pledging to work toward changing the Capitol culture amid a reckoning over sexual misconduct. A rainbow flag representing gay pride hung next to the California and U.S. flags in the Capitol rotunda as the San Diego Democrat was formally elected Senate pro tempore and took the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.

Supreme Court Delivers Blow To Republicans, Declines To Take Up Pa. Redistricting

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in October on the day arguments took place in a case about political maps in Wisconsin. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in October on the day arguments took place in a case about political maps in Wisconsin.

Some Lessons from California for Donald Trump

In many ways, the Golden State represents the American future that Trump-with his white nativism and economic protectionism-is trying to turn back, Canute style. Once a bastion of Nixon-Reagan Republicanism, California is now among the most diverse states in the country, with Hispanics and Asians making up a majority of the population.

Trump inspects border wall prototypes, denounces California

President Donald Trump eagerly inspected eight towering prototypes for his long-sought wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused California of putting "the entire nation at risk" by refusing to take tough action against illegal immigration. Trump, making his first trip to California as president, said Tuesday he preferred a fully concrete wall because it was the hardest to climb, but he noted that it needed to be see-through.