A Sacramento-backed bill would automatically place any federally sold land in California under conservation zoning, aiming to block speculative development. Sponsors call it a state backstop.

California’s attorney general has launched a statewide sweep into “surveillance pricing,” asking retailers, grocers and hotels to explain whether they use personal data to set individual prices. The inquiry will examine disclosures and pricing experiments under the CCPA.

State Sen. Scott Wiener won a commanding pre-endorsement vote from California Democratic Party delegates, putting him on the consent calendar for the Feb. 20–22 convention in San Francisco.

California DOJ says a Prop 65 settlement was reached after tests found lead and cadmium in seafood; companies will pay penalties and add warnings.

At an Urban League forum in San Francisco, gubernatorial candidates condemned ICE after the Minneapolis shooting and sketched competing plans on reparations, housing and homelessness.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown blasted a proposed charter amendment that would bar former mayors and supervisors from ever running again as the Board moves the measure forward.

Oakland city attorneys say OPD has reformed enough to end federal oversight, but plaintiffs and the monitor point to unfinished internal‑affairs work and discipline problems.

SF Assemblyman Matt Haney filed AB 1633 to tax 50% of profits from private immigration detention firms and create a fund for immigrant services. The proposal aims to blunt private incentives to expand detention.

An Afghan family who aided U.S. forces left the Bay Area for Britain after new Trump‑era immigration moves left them fearing detention and deportation.

FEMA’s 2025 equipment schedule cuts hourly reimbursements for wildland engines, and California chiefs warn those cuts could shrink mutual‑aid response. Small districts say the math won’t add up.

San Mateo County collected $4.1 billion in property taxes in FY 2024–25, a 6% increase that boosts school and local budgets while highlighting a state funding shortfall.

Fire Chief Lewis Broschard will retire March 30 after leading major expansions, ISO upgrades and new wildfire resources across Contra Costa County.

Santa Clara County is considering $290 fees for most homeowners and $675 for larger commercial appeals to cover the cost of its assessment appeals program.