With President Joe Biden's announcement that he won’t seek reelection and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, some California Democratic delegates quickly went along.

As Democrats have panicked over President Joe Biden’s lackluster debate performance and looked elsewhere for a potential replacement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the talk of the town. But how would he fare on the national stage?

Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders announce an agreement to bridge the state budget deficit by dipping into reserves and reducing some spending. The deal also calls for a bill in August to set aside more money and a 2026 constitutional amendment to grow the state’s rainy day fund.

The state Supreme Court takes a business-backed initiative to make it more difficult to raise taxes off the Nov. 5 ballot. Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders had sued to kick it off.

The Legislature passes a placeholder state budget, but must still negotiate with Gov. Newsom on the final deal. How the state spends taxpayer money is largely being decided out of public view.

Rescue California, which could begin gathering signatures on its recall petition within a matter of weeks, needs about 1.31 million valid signatures from registered California voters to qualify for the ballot. Voters overwhelmingly rejected a 2021 recall. 

A bill would let state legislators, who say they fear for their safety, shield their property holdings from disclosure forms. But critics say that could conceal potential conflicts of interest.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Hollister Democrat, says that when it became clear that tax revenues would be substantially below estimates, the Legislature should commit to a budget that protects classroom funding.

The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein means that Gov. Newsom has to decide who will fill her seat. He has said he would appoint a caretaker, not one of the three Democrats who are already running.

Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed a tax on firearms and ammunition, among other new gun control laws. California’s remaining gun manufacturers wonder if they have a future.

Unions won major victories in this year’s legislative session on pay for fast food and health care workers, benefits for strikers and bargaining rights. Business groups say labor has too much power at the Capitol. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas says unions are counting on lawmakers to deliver results.

Agreements between labor groups and the fast food industry would give workers a $20 minimum wage and pull a measure off the 2024 ballot. The Legislature has until Thursday to approve it.

Under a system that has long prioritized local control for school districts. state officials now are fighting some recent board decisions regarding LGBTQ students.

In the past few months, a former employee of the San Jose mayor’s office sued the city for extending deadlines for responding to records requests, while Mendocino County repealed an ordinance that charged as much as $150 per hour to locate, review and redact documents.

Frustration runs deep among medical cannabis patients and advocates who say the commercial market created by Proposition 64 in 2016 isn’t meeting their needs.

In an interview, Rivas offered few specifics about what might be a priority as the Legislature enters its final month of session.