DOL’s Project Firewall coincides with a roughly 48% jump in H‑1B investigations, turning single‑employee complaints into wider audits as wage and rule changes pile up. Employers face tougher site visits and a tighter compliance window.

AB 1884 would let districts add nicotine testing for student-athletes; supporters call it a health step, critics warn about biased enforcement.

City staff are proposing an entertainment zone that would allow to‑go drinks on parts of Castro Street during city events. The City Council will consider the ordinance on April 14.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose any reopening of the shuttered FCI Dublin, citing the facility’s history of staff misconduct and infrastructure failures.

Sonoma County supervisors advanced a draft ordinance to limit cooperation with ICE, bar enforcement on county property and strengthen privacy rules.

State officials announced $145.4M in HHAP grants to eight California counties; the Sacramento region is set to get about $31.7M for shelters, prevention and interim housing.

The FPPC has launched a formal probe after complaints that county mailers may have used public funds to sway Measure A voters.

San Francisco approved a $6.5M bridge loan for the zoo, but the cash comes with quarterly reporting, a five‑year plan and a 2027 accreditation deadline. City Hall says the aid is time‑bound, not open‑ended.

At a Sacramento town hall, Rep. Eric Swalwell denied viral claims he had affairs with staffers and his campaign called the posts false as the June primary approaches.

After the Supreme Court limited state bans on conversion therapy, California senators introduced SB 934, which would create malpractice remedies and extend filing windows for survivors.

A state Senate committee will weigh SB 1305 on April 7 — a bill directing CDFW to study restoring California’s grizzly bear and laying out a roadmap for any eventual return.

The SFPUC has proposed a two‑step rate package that would raise average water and sewer bills roughly 23% by July 1, 2027 to pay for aging pipes and treatment upgrades.

California’s GO‑Biz plans to award Edelman up to $19M to run a national brand campaign, and the pick has drawn scrutiny because of the firm’s past Saudi work after Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.