Court Ruling Changes Course For Teachers Unions; Calif. Sues Student Loan Collector

Plaintiff Mark Janus stands outside the Supreme Court after the court rules in a setback for organized labor that states can't force government workers to pay union fees. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption Plaintiff Mark Janus stands outside the Supreme Court after the court rules in a setback for organized labor that states can't force government workers to pay union fees.

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While some critics worry the legislation doesn't nearly go far enough, other observers are saying "California could be the bellwether for the privacy movement" after the state legislature on Thursday unanimously passed and Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the nation's toughest digital privacy rules. Businesses must disclose what information it collects, what business purpose it does so for and any third parties it shares that data with.

California sues nation’s largest student loan servicer

Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the state will sue Navient Corp. this week, contending the Delaware-based company financially harmed thousands of Californians. He said the firm systematically and illegally failed to properly service federal student loans by steering borrowers to more expensive repayment plans, failing to tell them how to switch to income-driven repayment plans or how those with disabilities could end their debts and misrepresenting how it handled payments.

California’s fight for strong net neutrality isn’t over yet – CNET

California may still get its super strong net neutrality protections after all, as Democrats in the state legislature agree to head back to the negotiating table, after key provisions of the bill On Friday, the bill's author, state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said he and fellow Democrat, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, the chair of the committee, will begin negotiating next week to fix the bill to ensure the protections that were weeded out in the committee process are added back into the legislation. "We've agreed to make a good faith effort to make amendments to the bill in order to pass strong net neutrality," he said in an interview.

Net neutrality backers fume as California bill watered down

California legislation that was billed as one of the nation's most aggressive efforts to revive net neutrality was watered down during a tense legislative hearing Wednesday, leading the author to repudiate what he called a "mutilated" bill. Sen. Scott Wiener has been pushing legislation to revive regulations repealed last year by the Federal Communications Commission that prevented internet companies from exercising more control over what people watch and see over the internet.

New poll confirms Feinstein has big lead in Senate race, but nearly half of voters are undecided

Nearly half of registered California voters are still undecided in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Dianne Feinstein and state Sen. Kevin de Leon, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Feinstein, who is seeking a fifth full term, holds a 36 percent to 18 percent lead over De Leon among registered voters who said they are going to vote in November, while 46 percent of registered voters remain undecided, according to the poll.

California advances biggest US change to police use of force Source: AP

California would lead the U.S. in significantly changing the standard for when police can fire their weapons under legislation that cleared its first hurdle Tuesday after an emotionally charged debate over deadly shootings that have roiled the country. It's time to change a "reasonable force" standard that hasn't been updated in California since 1872, making it the nation's oldest unchanged use-of-force law, said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a San Diego Democrat who introduced the measure.

Letter: Blame this on Democrats too: Browna s pardon of ex-felons

Ruben Navarrette should add to his list of "Democrats' treatment of immigrants and refugees [is] as bad as Republicans' " , the injury done to our immigrant community when Democratic Gov. Brown and his colleagues released illegal immigrant ex-felons among California residents, including California's immigrant communities where the ex-felons are likely to return. Get editorials, opinion columns, letters to the editor and more in your inbox weekday mornings.

Big hurdles for bold push to split California into 3 states

Californians will face a choice this November of whether to divide the nation's most populous state into three, an effort that would radically shake up not only the West Coast, but the entire nation. The "Cal 3" initiative is driven by venture capitalist Tim Draper, who has tried and failed in the past to place an effort to break up California on the ballot, including a bid in 2016 to create six separate states.

Homeless programs get an extra $600 million in California…

Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders compromised on plans to put millions more toward homeless programs and agreed to pump more money into higher education under a $139 billion general fund budget deal announced Friday. The agreement includes about $1 billion more in additional spending than what Brown proposed last month for the 2018-19 fiscal year beginning July 1. It came one week ahead of the deadline for the Legislature to pass a state budget, which Brown has until June 30 to sign.

It’s Gavin Newsom Vs. John Cox for Calif. Gov. Who Are They?

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and businessman John Cox will face off in the November election in the race for governor Under California's unusual open primary system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance, regardless of party California's crowded field for governor was knocked down to two Tuesday, when voters picked Democratic Lt.

Republican advances in California primary with Trump’s help

John Cox, a Republican business owner who has tried and failed for nearly two decades to win elected office, snagged a spot in the November runoff for California governor with the help of President Donald Trump, but that support could hurt him in the winner-take-all race with Democrat Gavin Newsom. Cox got about a quarter of the votes counted so far in Tuesday's election to easily outdistance former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for second to Newsom, who won by a comfortable margin.

Ricardo Lara Could Be California’s First Out Statewide Official

California could elect its first openly gay statewide official this fall in Ricardo Lara, who was one of the top two finishers for insurance commissioner in the state's primary Tuesday. Under California's "top two" system, the two leading vote recipients in the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election.

California in spotlight as voters cast ballots in primaries

Democrats in the country's most populous state are battling to ensure they come out on top in several congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. LOS ANGELES: Voters cast ballots in eight US states for key primary elections on Tuesday, with all eyes on California, where the outcome could swing the balance of power in Congress.

GOP avoids shutout in race for California governor

FILE - In this May 23, 2018, file photo, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox address supporters at the Sacramento County Republican Party headquarters in Sacramento, Calif. Tuesday's primary election will set ... LOS ANGELES - Democrat Gavin Newsom won Tuesday's primary in the race for California governor and Republican John Cox finished in a strong second place, ensuring Republicans won't be shut out of the race to replace retiring Gov. Jerry Brown.