News

CHICO, Calif. — Lawmakers are trying to ease the ongoing truck driver shortage with a new bill.

Under AB 376, introduced by San Joaquin Valley Democrat Carlos Villapudua, Cal Grant C would become open for students enrolled in entry-level driver training program. Lawmakers say programs can be costly and they don't currently qualify for the Cal Grant because they're typically less than four months in length.

Villapudua says he not only wants to attract prospective drivers, but dispel truck driver stereotypes.

CHICO, Calif. — Californians could be voting on a major flood protection bond next November.

State lawmakers are pushing a $4.5 billion bond measure which would help fund water infrastructure projects across the state. The bill's author, San Joaquin Valley Democratic Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, said the language is not yet set in stone, but that funds from the bond would go to the Department of Water Resources (DWR).

A California bill, which will be heard in the state Senate’s Public Safety committee Tuesday, intends to take the state’s prisons in a more Norwegian direction.

"It’s almost as if you're part of a dorm, and you're working with other folks to help each other," said Stockton Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, who’s proposing AB 2730, about what he's learned about prisons there.

California has a recidivism problem. 

Two-thirds of people incarcerated in the state will return to prison within three years, either through new offenses or parole violations, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation data. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A group of bipartisan state lawmakers is now pushing for a year-long suspension of the state’s gas tax.

This comes as lawmakers said talks are stalling on the relief Californians were promised nearly two months ago.

“We have stalled out at a time when the state cannot afford to stall out,” said Assembly Member Jordan Cunningham, R-San Luis Obispo.

A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Thursday announced they’re pushing for a year-long suspension of the state’s 51-cent gas tax.

Tracy Interfaith Ministries learned this week that California Assemblymember Carlos Villapadua (D-Stockton) has selected the local charity a 2022 California Nonprofit of the Year.

Tracy Interfaith Ministries is one of more than 100 nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their contributions to the communities they serve.

In the nearly two months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the images of wartime devastation continue to haunt us. Vladimir Putin’s war crimes have disrupted the world’s economy, driving up energy costs and affecting every Californian. To bring relief from high gas prices and reduce California’s reliance on foreign oil, we need to support more local production of the abundant energy sources we possess.

Jackson is 4 years old. His little sister, Isabella, is 3. They live with their mother, Rachel, a recovering heroin addict at Saint John’s Program for Real Change, a shelter for formerly homeless women and children that I head. Rachel, like many of the mothers in our shelter, is a participant of a court-ordered reunification program. To keep custody of her children, she must refrain from using alcohol and drugs.

SACRAMENTO, Calif — Since 1973, the California Latino Legislative Caucus has been serving Latino people and their communities.  

The mission of the Caucus is 'to identify, promote and advocate on behalf of the professional, educational, social, political and cultural interests of the Latino community.' 

The Caucus is made up of members from the State Senate and Assembly  and on Wednesday, the Caucus voted to prioritize 20 bills for this legislative session. Out of the 20 bills, nine of them focus on education.

Lawmakers in California are considering a pilot program that would financially support would-be physicians from underrepresented groups while addressing the shortage of healthcare workers in underserved communities.