Kevin Epps, an award-winning filmmaker and editor, received a prison sentence following his conviction for voluntary manslaughter. A broad coalition of supporters has since formally petitioned Governor Gavin Newsom for clemency, emphasizing unresolved legal questions surrounding the prosecution and Epps’s documented record of community service.
A new white paper from the Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative asserts that California’s affordability crisis originates from decades of policy decisions that have constrained housing and infrastructure development, contributing to elevated living costs, increased poverty, and population out-migration.
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a California policy protecting the privacy of transgender students in K-12 schools, in a ruling hailed as a victory for parental rights by a group of parents near San Diego.
The Trump administration has withdrawn its request to maintain federal control over the California National Guard, returning command and control to Gov. Gavin Newsom, following a court ruling that the federalization of the National Guard was illegal.
California’s CARE Court, designed to help people with serious mental illnesses, has fallen short of expectations, leaving many families frustrated and desperate for help, while a new law set to take effect in January promises to expand the grave disability standard and open a new pathway to conservatorship.
California’s housing reforms are being enforced, with the state using litigation, court orders, and suspension of local land use authority to ensure compliance, as demonstrated by the recent legal victory against Huntington Beach.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have secured a legal victory requiring the City of Huntington Beach to adopt a compliant housing element within 120 days and limiting the city’s land use authority until it does so.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced over $52 million in federal grants to support local housing, infrastructure and homelessness initiatives, funding 90 projects across 53 counties.
YIMBY Law has filed a lawsuit challenging Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order suspending SB 9 in high fire hazard severity zones within the burn areas, arguing that it unlawfully undermines the state’s own housing laws, deepens the housing emergency created by the fires, and gives wealthy jurisdictions improper power to block modest infill housing.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced over $865 million in new housing, transportation, and climate-resilience investments funded by payments from major polluters under California’s cap-and-invest program, which will support thousands of new affordable homes, major green transportation upgrades, and community-level climate resilience projects.
Federal attorneys argue that President Donald Trump’s continued federal control of California National Guard troops stationed in Los Angeles remains lawful due to an alleged ongoing “danger of rebellion,” despite California’s insistence that the deployment violates constitutional limits on presidential power and undermines state authority over its Guard.
The U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty, a coalition of over 50 organizations, has been launched to abolish capital punishment, citing rising executions, political pressure, and a widening gap between public sentiment and state practices.
Despite the passage of dozens of new laws, California’s housing crisis remains far from solved, but the foundation for a new housing era has been laid and progress is being made through small projects and a shift in the political culture to favor building rather than blocking.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California’s public safety investments have resulted in a significant increase in arrests, prosecutions, and recovered stolen property, with over $190 million worth of stolen property recovered and 25,675 suspects arrested between October 2023 and June 2025.
The National Housing Law Project has warned that the lapse of funding for SNAP will have severe consequences for low-income families, as 44 million tenants face rent, 24 million people face health costs, and 40 million people, including 16 million children, face food insecurity.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to block the Trump administration’s federalization and deployment of the California National Guard, arguing that it is unlawful and violates the Posse Comitatus Act.
Governor Gavin Newsom praised the rulings of two federal judges who found that the Trump administration illegally withheld SNAP funds during the government shutdown, and urged the USDA to release all available funding for the program immediately.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California Highway Patrol crime suppression teams have made over 275 arrests, recovered over 520 stolen vehicles, and seized 34 illicit firearms in the Bay Area this year, resulting in a decrease in crime and an increase in public safety.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown, which could leave 5.5 million Californians without essential food assistance.
The passage of AB 1071 in California has confirmed the existence of racial bias and judicial resistance in the state’s justice system, and has given the People the tools to demand compliance with the law and uphold the sovereignty of the People.