Alameda County public defenders wore black in Oakland, saying surging caseloads and chronic underfunding have hollowed out the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

A Sacramento bill would revive a $150‑a‑year SRA fee to fund forest thinning, inspections and hazard mapping in high‑risk areas.

Mayor Matt Mahan reposted a KRON4 'poll' claiming a debate-driven surge to 46%, but scientific polls and local reporting still place him in the single digits. The race remains unsettled.

A video from a Berkeley Law teach‑in shows students applauding Israa Jaabis, convicted in a 2015 attempted car bombing. The clip has reignited campus debates over speech and safety.

Kathy Kleinbaum was chosen April 23 as San Carlos’ next city manager. She brings Peninsula experience in housing, economic development and climate planning.

A Senate committee deadlocked 3-3 on SB 1074 — the BASED Act — pausing California's most aggressive push to ban self‑preferencing by trillion‑dollar platforms.

Organizers submitted thousands of signatures to put the Fair and Affordable Housing Ordinance on Redwood City’s November ballot, promising lower rent hikes, relocation pay and a city‑run rent program.

A well-funded progressive, Eric Jones, is mounting a primary challenge to Rep. Mike Thompson in California's redrawn 4th District. The June primary will test whether money and new voters can shake up a long‑standing incumbent.

Trump is weighing an extension of a 60‑day Jones Act waiver that opened U.S. ports to foreign tankers; unions warn of job risks while analysts say pump‑price gains may be tiny.

A Prop 64‑funded Berkeley cannabis education program fell short of promised deliverables, yet the nonprofit and a subcontractor were paid roughly $607,000, records show. Evaluators and city documents raise oversight questions.

Mayor Matt Mahan tied his Brigade and Causes past to platforms like Change.org and GoFundMe, a claim that runs into a chronological mismatch.

Thirty ex-staffers say viral clips don’t tell the full story as Katie Porter tries to steady her governor bid ahead of the June primary.

SpaceX and California regulators reached a conditional settlement over a long-running fight about launch limits at Vandenberg. A federal judge must approve before terms are made public.