
Point: Sacramento Needs Rent Control
Sacramento stands at a crossroads. Will it remain a place where teachers, firefighters, nurses and retail clerks can live in the same city as the people they serve? Will Sacramento maintain its identity as a diverse city; a place to put down roots and raise a family? Or will it succumb to the fate of other metropolitan areas, where the people who work to make our city run can’t afford to live here?

Gimme (Temporary) Shelter
Short-term home rental policies evolve in the Sacramento region
A little over two years ago, as Sacramento City Council put the finishing touches on one of the region’s first ordinances allowing short-term residential rentals via online platforms such as Airbnb, Councilman Eric Guerra offered some support.

Woodland Gears Up for Central Transit Hub
City evaluating a $4.9 million transit center near downtown
Looking to boost Woodland’s downtown, streamline bus routes and combine transportation options, the community is evaluating a proposed $4.9 million transit center. The first step is figuring out just where to build the facility.

Banning the Box
A new state law aiming to help those with a criminal record rejoin society is changing how companies hire
Giving ex-offenders a better chance at reintegration is behind the California Fair Chance Act, which took effect in January. With exceptions for a few types of jobs, the new law forbids businesses with five or more employees from asking applicants about criminal history until late in the hiring process — which could mean big changes in how many employers hire.

Rebelling Against California’s ‘Sanctuary’ Laws—from Inside California
The political whirlwind raging around California’s “sanctuary” laws isn’t doing much damage to the laws themselves, according to many state legal experts. In fact, the brunt of any legal damage may be felt most by the small city that started the rebellion.

Taxing California: Highest in the Nation And Unstable too
California’s major revenue sources have shifted over time. Until 1995, the biggest was property taxes. Today, it’s personal income taxes.
And California ranks fairly high in overall taxation: 10th highest both per capita and as a percentage of personal income, based on the latest available data from the U.S. Census.

Lead Paint Makers Balk At Huge Bill For Toxic Cleanup
Three companies found to have sold toxic lead paint for decades—despite knowing it posed health hazards for children—are waging a major battle to avoid paying the several hundred millions of dollars in liability that California courts have slapped on them.
And they’re asking you, the California voter, to help them get their way.

California Launches Online Directory of Business Incentives
Government entities can upload information on new portal designed to spur economic development
Businesses in California now have a new centralized directory with which to find information about relevant state and local incentives.

Roseville Plans to Turn Historic Homestead into Events Center
For the past year, the Fiddyment House, a former pioneer homestead dating to the mid-19th century, has sat vacant in West Roseville. All around it, land is being developed into residential neighborhoods, as the owner of that historic house — the City of Roseville — considers the future of the property.

Retro-Republican John Cox in Second Place, for Now
John Cox wants to slash the California income tax—abolish it, if possible. Maybe you disagree, but he thinks he can convince you.