Fire Officials Prepare for 'Unprecedented' Fire Season
Some parts of California can expect temperatures above 100 degrees this week. Add wind, and you have firefighters on alert. The state is bracing itself for what looks to be an ugly year. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection -- Cal Fire for short -- has declared the fire season open as of Monday, and has staffed up at the earliest time in modern history.
Toni Atkins Makes History as First Openly Lesbian Assembly Speaker
The State Assembly has a new speaker: San Diego Democrat Toni Atkins. She's the state's third female Speaker, the first open lesbian, and the first speaker from San Diego.
Nurses Union Lobbies Against Nonprofit Hospital Exemption
Hundreds of registered nurses lobbied lawmakers in Sacramento Monday on a package of nursing-friendly bills. The major legislative offensive from The California Nurses' Association included opposition to the income tax-exempt status of non-profit hospitals.
Pressure Builds in Support of Statewide Transitional Kindergarten
Many Democratic lawmakers want to step-up spending for programs like transitional kindergarten, widely believed to be a boon for students who get it. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has proposed making it available to every 4-year-old in California -- and a new report takes California to task for denying thousands of children access to transitional kindergarten.