New research out of Stanford shows clear academic benefits to ethnic studies, especially for younger students who are on the cusp of dropping out of school.

Sean Parker plunked down $250,000 and recruited other techies to fund a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in California.

Technology has been blamed for disrupting our sleep, but a group of Silicon Valley companies want to put tech back in the bedroom for the right reasons.

A regional minimum wage plan has generated broad support, but also anxiety that a segment of low-income workers will be left behind.

More than 6,500 of California’s 130,000 inmates committed crimes under the age of 18. Efforts are now underway to change the mass incarceration policies of teens created in preceding decades.

A rare conviction of an East San Jose woman who admitted to illegal animal trafficking highlights the challenges in stopping the illicit wildlife trade.

Residents, elected officials and environmental activists are painting a doomsday scenario of what an accident involving the proposed Phillips 66 oil trains would look like in downtown San Jose.

Foothill College’s Linda Thor helped change state law so community colleges can begin offering four-year degrees.

A new ballot initiative seeks to address the unduly harsh punishments tens of thousands of Californians face for nonviolent offenses. The proposal, sponsored by former San Jose Police Chief Bill Lansdowne, would reduce penalties for certain low-level drug and petty theft crimes.

A proposed ballot initiative—endorsed by former governors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis—would resume and expedite executions for the 700-plus people living on California’s death row. But would voters be on board?

When Jose Antonio Vargas turned 16 years old, he did what almost every kid his age does. He applied for a driver’s permit. But when he went to the DMV, he got something unexpected: the truth about his immigration status.

The government shutdown may be over, but the Republican-fueled hits keep on coming—especially for Silicon Valley’s most vulnerable citizens. Starting Nov. 1, extra funding provided by the American Recovery Act, President Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus package, expire. As a result, people who rely on rely on food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or CalFresh in California, will see their benefits decrease. In addition, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill last month that would cut $40 billion from the program over the next decade—resulting in 3.8 million people getting kicked off the program next year, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.