![The California Fostering Connections to Success Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2012, extends foster care services to age 21.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0220_feat_regionalchallenge_andrewjnilsen_1_0.png?1582142485)
Fostering Future Success
In 2012, California implemented extended foster care legislation to improve outcomes for 18- to 21-year-olds. Is the program working?
A decade ago, extended foster care, or EFC, did not exist in California. When foster youth turned 18, they aged out of the system and often transitioned to adulthood with a bag of their belongings, a small amount of money, and a list of board and care facilities and shelters.
![New construction is underway in Paradise, where the Camp Fire destroyed most of the town in 2018. According to Cal Fire, wildfires have destroyed 38,757 buildings in California in the past five years.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0220_feat_construction_matthewbates_lead.jpg?1581442915)
Building Resiliency
Updated building codes have helped save homes during wildfires, but should California do more?
2.7 million residents live in areas with a high risk of wildfire, and the scarcity of urban real estate pushes construction toward the wooded areas most likely to ignite. Should this be allowed?
![Nurse practitioner Surani Hayre-Kwan, left, and nurse practitioner student Kristina Crichton during an office visit with patient John Donaldson, a Guerneville resident who relies on Hayre-Kawn as his primary care physician. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/nurse_practitioners_photo_1.jpg?1581630344)
Facing Doctor Shortage, Will California Give Nurse Practitioners More Authority to Treat Patients?
So far the doctors’ lobby has blocked the idea, which promises to expand care options in rural and inner-city areas. They warn it would create two-tiered care.
![Burger Patch hasn't taken down the "No Cash Accepted" sign on its front door, even though it begin accepting cash about a month after opening last May. The vegan burger joint is still "card-preferred," said employee Zia Simmons. (Photo by Jackie Botts for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/cashless_photo_1.jpg?1581626435)
Should Stores in California Be Required to Accept Cash?
One state lawmaker says cash-free stores are discriminating against low-income customers, who often don’t have bank accounts.
![The biggest mistake people make when contacted by law enforcement is waiting until after they’ve already spoken with a federal agent to call a lawyer. (Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0220_dept_bythebook_shutterstock.png?1580940878)
When the Feds Come Calling
Four mistakes to avoid if you’re under investigation for white-collar crime
There are few things as complicated as your business falling into the crosshairs of the federal government. Avoiding common pitfalls can prevent disaster.
![Since Bruce Gray became CEO in 2016, TSI Semiconductors has increased its Technology Development & Commercialization Services business by 200 percent. (Photo by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0220_feat_manufacturing_fredgreaves_embed1.jpg?1580940974)
A Survivor’s Tale
TSI Semiconductors in Roseville is flourishing again, bucking a trend of diminished manufacturing in California and the U.S.
The last remaining microchip plant in Northern California has found ways to thrive in a challenging market.
![Maria Garcia, at home in Antioch, works her way through a Calbright cyber security course. Her goal is to get a certificate from the first-of-its-kind addition to the community college system, she says, but recent setbacks at Calbright have made her wonder whether its future is secure. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/online_college_photo_1_1.jpg?1580420771)
California’s Online Community College Confronts Offline Woes
California’s first-in-the-nation online community college now has 450 students — with no full-time faculty, no CEO and no political champion. What will Calbright’s future be?
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0220_feat_careers_shutterstock.png?1580178953)
Life After a Layoff
Losing a job can sting, but it can lead to new opportunities
Losing a job can be one of the most traumatic events a person can go through in their lifetime. It ranks among the top five, right up there with the death of a loved one, divorce, catastrophic illness and moving.
![Grant Line Road — looking west where it intersects with Wilton Road — will become part of the Capital SouthEast Connector, a 34-mile parkway connecting Elk Grove and Folsom. (Photo by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0120_feat_transportation_hectoramezcua_lead_0.jpg?1580167216)
Making Connections
As more people move farther out, options are in the works to ease their commutes
Stitching together rural and suburban areas from near the Delta to the foothills, Grant Line Road and White Rock Road connect the area’s past and future.
![Unmanned drones used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy outside the corporate office of Kratos in Roseville. (Photo by Judy Farah)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0120_blog_tech_kratos_lead.jpg?1580146569)
Target Practice
Behind the scenes of a high-tech drone manufacturer in the Capital Region
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is preparing the U.S. military for the next evolution in combat by building high-tech, state-of-the-art aerial target drones.