SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California’s insurance regulator says auto insurers shortchanged motorists on refunds ordered last year as crashes dropped during the coronavirus pandemic. Traffic plummeted after California imposed the nation’s first stay-home order a year ago to slow the spread of the coronavirus . But insurers say dangerous driving trends have worsened even as…… MORE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A former mayor in California who gained international attention for running a guaranteed income program is joining Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. Newsom named former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs a special advisor for economic mobility and opportunity on Thursday. The unpaid position will also make Tubbs a member of Newsom’s Council of…… MORE
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – Environmental and community groups have sued a California county after the prime oil-drilling region approved a plan to fast-track thousands of new wells. The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a revised ordinance that could lead to approval of more than 40,000 new oil and gas wells over roughly…… MORE
OS ANGELES (AP) – California officials are looking ahead to being able to phase out restrictions on activities because of the coronavirus as infection rates slow and more people are vaccinated. Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state is developing a “green tier” in its reopening plan that would allow fewer restrictions, something officials said this…… MORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A murder suspect was mistakenly released from custody in Southern California and remained at large Wednesday as prosecutors and two law enforcement agencies tried to deflect blame for the error. Steven Manzo was charged with fatally shooting a man in Long Beach in 2018. Manzo was arrested a year ago and…… MORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two U.S. Postal Service employees have been charged with abusing their positions to purchase postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office says the two were arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint alleges conspiracy, aggravated…… MORE
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco Police say they are investigating an attack on an Uber driver who was assaulted by a woman who refused to wear a mask. The driver, an immigrant form Nepal, says the attack captured on a now-viral video was racially motivated. The woman was with two other women wearing masks…… MORE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration says the massive new federal coronavirus relief bill will pump more than $150 billion into the state’s economy. Nearly half of that money will go to Californians directly in the form of $1,400 checks and expanded unemployment benefits. Another $26 billion will go to the state…… MORE
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) — A man was arrested on Friday following a month-long human trafficking investigation. It started February 1 when the Fresno Police Department was called to Belmont Ave. and Broadway St. to check the welfare of a 28-year-old woman. Police believed the woman may be a victim of human trafficking. The Fresno Police…… MORE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom painted a positive picture of the state’s pandemic response during his State of the State address. But some of his statements Tuesday night lacked key context or twisted the facts. He called California’s death rate one of the lowest per capita in the nation, but data from…… MORE
