Last month, a proposed bill that was introduced by state Senator Patricia Bates was voted against on a bipartisan vote. The proposed bill, Senate Bill 401 (SB 401), was seeking to place limits on contributions that may be made to and received by candidate-controlled ballot measure committees. In other words, the purpose of SB 401 […]

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is warning lawmakers that Californians could experience longer wait times if it doesn’t get more money from a special budget boost it requested. The budget request was submitted by the DMV last week for $40.4 million to keep its offices operating with fairly short wait times. According to the […]

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, investigators found that homeless people on skid row were taking money, food, or even cigarettes to forge signatures of registered voters on petitions to qualify initiatives for the ballot. This year, the LAPD has cracked down on suspected election fraud on skid row and they have arrested at […]

According to a state audit released earlier this year, counties throughout the state are holding onto millions of dollars intended for mental health services. In 2004, the Mental Health Services Act was passed and it placed a one percent income tax on state residents who earned $1 million or more annually. However, the audit released […]

According to a report, known as the Housing Gaps Analysis, by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Los Angeles County’s homeless population is increasing faster than the supply of new housing. This increase comes even with the addition of thousands of beds in the last two years and millions of dollars beginning to flow in […]

Late last month, a proposed bill was introduced by state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) to allow banks to open accounts for people involved in the cannabis industry. The bill, Senate Bill 930, would allow California chartered banks, credit unions and other financial institutions to open checking and savings accounts and issue checks for marijuana […]

In 2014, voters passed an initiative that forced lawmakers to save money in flush years. It turns out that California’s budget reserves are approaching a point to where the state, by law, can’t save any more money. The state is on pace to fill the reserves with $13.5 billion by July 1, 2019, but some […]

In late August, an audit was released by the San Francisco city controller that found various severe issues at the United Council of Human Services, which offers hot meals at its Mother Brown’s Dining Room and supportive permanent housing in 35 Hope Houses scattered throughout the Bayview. The nonprofit received $1.5 million in city grants […]

A new report from Apartment List claims that service workers have been the hardest hit by rent increases in San Diego over the last decade. Money left after paying rent by San Diego service workers such as waiters, healthcare supporters, and retail workers dropped by 8.6 percent from 2005 to 2015. That’s a larger drop […]

According to the 2017 Prosperity Now Scorecard, over 37 percent of California households have so little cash saved that they couldn’t live at the poverty level for even three months if they lost a job or suffered another significant loss of income. The report was compiled by Prosperity Now, a Washington, D.C. based organization seeking […]