A California Prisoner Ripped Out Her Eye and Ate It. It’s a Sign of a Bigger Crisis That the State Tried to Downplay.
A patient is moved after a session with a psychologist at the the mental health unit at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, in 2014. Rich Pedroncelli/AP In July 2018, Dr. Michael Golding, the chief psychiatrist for California’s correctional department, visited a maximum-security prison near Sacramento to shadow a couple of psychiatrists there. At…
“What Happened to Her Isn’t Right”: Democratic Women Grapple with the Fallout of Katie Hill’s Resignation
Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) speaks at a press conference outside of the Capitol on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call via AP “It’s just fucked.” Since Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) announced she was leaving Congress on Sunday night, Democratic lawmakers and their staffers on Capitol Hill are grappling with the complicated circumstances of that…
California Governor Blames Greed, Not Climate Change, for Bay Area Blackouts
Justin Sullivan/Getty California Gov. Gavin Newsom put California public utility Pacific Gas & Electric on blast Thursday while the company worked to slowly restore power to the more than one million people affected by its planned blackouts. Strong wind forecasts during hot, dry weather—ideal conditions for the wildfires that have plagued the state in recent…
California Becomes the First State to Require Public Universities to Provide Medication Abortion
Gov. Gavin Newsom Terry Pierson/ZUMA California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill today requiring the state’s public universities to offer medication abortions on campus. The new law, which will take effect in 2023, will apply to 34 schools—11 University of California campuses and 23 California State University campuses—that serve almost 750,000 students. “For four years, students have been…
If Power Shutoffs Are the New Normal in California, PG&E Needs to Do More than Provide Charging Stations
Josh Edelson/Getty In Merritt College’s parking lot, high up in the hills of Oakland, California, the big white tent is supposed to serve as an “community resource center” for PG&E customers that have been left without power since last night. The reality is that it’s mostly just a charging station with water and WiFi. About…
California’s Massive Power Outages Are Threatening the Oakland Zoo’s Animals
Grizzly and brown bears in their pool habitat at the Oakland ZooBen Margot/AP As massive power outages swept across the northern part of California Wednesday, the Oakland Zoo, which was closed to the public, hustled to protect its animals, especially ones that rely on a stable environment. Of the highest priority are the mountain yellow-legged frogs,…