Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast launch baffles allies and critics alike as the governor disappears from public events, raising questions about his leadership priorities and political future.

The court decision Monday wasn’t the only rejection that hit the transit agency. Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a request from the VTA to intervene in the labor dispute and asked the two sides to resume negotiations on a three-year contract.

The governor’s announcement affects most of the state workforce and will take effect on July 1.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the government would conduct a “compliance review” on a $3.1 billion grant, potentially threatening the viability of the troubled, controversial high-speed rail project.

California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard offers incentives for cleaner fuels and would raise gasoline and diesel fuel prices.

Critics say a bill approved last year by the Legislature and sponsored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose was the product of secret negotiations.

The results of a five-year state probe laid out dozens of potential violations by Evan Low involving a non-profit tech foundation for which he raised a half-million dollars. The investigation began after CalMatters published an investigation into the relationship between Low, the foundation and its donors.

Threatening a showdown with state officials, local sheriffs and police departments, the Justice Department warns that state and local officials must cooperate with the department under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and threatens criminal prosecution or civil penalties if they fail to comply.

The state’s plan to fix the insurance crisis had barely rolled out when the Los Angeles wildfires began. Can the market recover and stabilize?

The governor expects a small California budget surplus after facing a deficit one year ago.

The federal government typically covers 75% of rebuilding costs after a major disaster. President-elect Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting money from California.

A supermajority of Democrats and emboldened Republicans returned to the Capitol this week — at odds over the cost of living, the Trump presidency, state spending, tech innovations and reparations for descendants of people once enslaved.

A conservative organization led by Trump adviser Stephen Miller sent letters to California leaders warning of ‘serious consequences’ over sanctuary policies that protect undocumented residents. San Jose became a sanctuary city in 2007. San Francisco also declared itself a sanctuary city in 1989.

The California state budget has been a rollercoaster over the past few years. Big deficits generally mean cutting plans and programs.

The increase in lobbyists this year means there’s now at least one lobbyist for every legislative staff member.

The last 150 feet of the wharf collapsed into the Monterey Bay at around 12:45pm, city officials said. The city had already determined that the end of the wharf needed to be taken down and repaired after it was damaged in storms over the past several years.