ADAM BEAM

Adam covers California government and politics.

FILE - Students sit on the lawn near Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles on April 25, 2019. On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the California Legislature voted to extend the deadline for some state student financial aid programs in response to delays with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FAFSA delays prompt California lawmakers to extend deadline for student financial aid applications

The California Legislature has voted to give prospective college students more time to apply for financial aid.

Optometrist Hunter Morgan poses in his offices on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Encinitas, Calif. When Morgan bought an optometry practice in San Diego three years ago, one of the first things he did was start accepting patients who were enrolled in Medicaid — the government-funded health insurance program for the poor and the disabled. Just five months later, Morgan said, he had to stop treating Medicaid patients because of the paltry pay. He charges $175 for eye exams, but the most he could get from Medicaid was about $40. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

California wants to pay doctors more money to see Medicaid patients

California wants to pay doctors more money to persuade them to see more Medicaid patients. Medicaid is the government-funded health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities.

FILE -- Water flies from a sprinkler on a lawn in Sacramento, Calif., on July 8, 2021. State regulators proposed on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, delaying new conservation rules aimed at reducing the amount of water people use on their lawns. The rules would be enforced with water agencies, not individuals. Water agencies had asked for more time to comply. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

California proposes delaying rules aimed at reducing water on lawns, concerning environmentalists

California regulators have proposed delaying some new rules aimed at reducing how much water people use on their lawns.

FILE - The lights of the state Capitol glow into the night in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 31, 2022. A new California law that takes effect April 2024 requires a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. Negotiations over that law concluded last fall and reflect the reality of public policy making in the United States. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Confidentiality pact deepens mystery of how bakery clause got into California minimum wage law

Private organizations involved in negotiations over California’s minimum wage for fast food workers signed a confidentiality agreement.

A ballot is dropped off on Election Day at the Registrar of Voters office, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Norwalk, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

California’s closely watched House primaries offer preview of battle to control Congress

California voters have settled House primaries across the state. But all eyes are on a handful of swing districts whose November matchups will help determine who controls Congress for the next two years.

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the fast food bill surrounded by fast food workers at the SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles, on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Republican leaders in California are calling for an investigation into why a new state law requiring a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers includes an exemption for restaurants like Panera Bread. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign donor says his Panera Bread restaurants will follow minimum wage law

A wealthy campaign donor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his Panera Bread restaurants will comply with a new minimum wage law.

A ballot is dropped off on Election Day at the Registrar of Voters office, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Norwalk, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

California’s closely watched House primaries offer preview of battle to control Congress

California voters have settled House primaries across the state. But all eyes are on a handful of swing districts whose November matchups will help determine who controls Congress for the next two years.

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the fast food bill surrounded by fast food workers at the SEIU Local 721 in Los Angeles, on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Republican leaders in California are calling for an investigation into why a new state law requiring a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers includes an exemption for restaurants like Panera Bread. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

California governor pushes back against criticism of fast food minimum wage law

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is denying a news report that he pushed for an exception to the state’s fast food minimum wage law that benefits a donor.

Judy Salter, left, joins others in a demonstration calling for the recall of Shasta County Supervisor Kevin Crye, in Redding, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. Crye is one of the board members who voted to get rid of the county's ballot-counting machines in favor of counting ballots by hand. Salter is one of the organizers of the recall. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

A California county ditched its vote counting machines. Now a supporter faces a recall election

Voters in a rural Northern California county will decide whether to recall a local elected official in a race that centers on hand-counting of ballots.

This undated photograph shows Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Bank, Nigeria in his Lagos office. Wigwe was killed Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 along with his wife and son when a helicopter they were riding in crashed near in Southern California's Mojave Desert. (AP Photo/Ayodeji Owolabi)

Nigeria mourns as authorities investigate helicopter crash that killed a major bank CEO

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a California helicopter crash that killed the CEO of one of Nigeria’s largest banks.

California Democratic state Sen. Catherine Blakespear gestures toward a person covered in plastic bags during a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. Blakespear has authored a bill that would ban all plastic shopping bags in California. (AP/Adam Beam)

California bill would ban all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores

California would ban all plastic shopping bags in 2026 under a new bill in the state Legislature. California already bans thin plastic shopping bags at grocery stores and other shops.

FILE - Chris Puehse, owner of Foothill Ammo, displays .45-caliber ammunition for sale at his store in Shingle Springs, Calif., on June 11, 2019. A federal judge on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, struck down a California law requiring people pay for a background check every time they purchase ammunition. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Californians don’t have to pass a background check every time they buy bullets, federal judge rules

A federal judge has ruled Californians don’t have to pay for and pass a background check every time they buy bullets. U.S.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds fish trap while touring a salmon restoration project at Prairie Creek in Redwoods National Park, Calif., Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

California Gov. Newsom backs dam removal projects to boost salmon. Critics say that’s not enough

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pledging to fast-track more than half a dozen projects to remove or bypass dams that have blocked salmon.

FILE - California state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, July 10, 2023. On Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, Atkins announced she will run for governor in 2026. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,File)

California Senate leader Toni Atkins announces run for governor in 2026

The leader of the California Senate says she will run for governor in 2026. Democrat Toni Atkins made history as only the third person and first woman to hold both of the top jobs in the state Legislature.

FILE - A ship sails through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near Bethel Island, Calif., on March 12, 2008. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Kenneth C. Mennemeier ruled Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, that the state does not have permission to borrow billions of dollars for a water project. The decision could threaten a key source of funding for a plan to build a tunnel to reroute the state's water supply from the Central Valley to the densely populated southern portion of the state. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

California court ruling could threaten key source of funding for disputed giant water tunnel project

A California judge has ruled that the state does not have permission to borrow billions of dollars for a water project.

FILE - Bruce Bertram, 7, listens as lawmakers discuss a proposed bill that would ban children under 12 from playing tackle football in California Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not sign the bill, saying he is concerned about the health and safety of young athletes but an outright ban is not the answer. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,File)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he won’t sign a proposed ban on tackle football for kids under 12

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will not sign a proposed ban on tackle football for kids under 12.

Bruce Bertram, 7, who plays tackle football for the Union Mine Junior Rattlers looks up at his mother, Ashley Bertram, as she speaks against a proposed California bill that would ban children under 12 from playing tackle football, during a legislative committee hearing in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California proposal to ban youth tackle football clears first legislative hurdle

California lawmakers are debating a ban on tackle football for children under 12 to reduce the risk of brain injuries under a bill that has cleared a key legislative hurdle.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his proposed state budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, during a news conference in Sacramento,Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California governor wants reserves and cuts to fix nearly $38B deficit, mostly sparing schools

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is announcing a $291 billion state spending plan with an estimated $37.9 billion deficit.

Assembly members Heath Flora, R-Modesto, left, and Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, right, leave the Assembly chambers as protesters call for a cease-fire in Gaza disrupt the first day of the California legislative session in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. The Assembly session was just getting started when protesters wearing matching black t-shirts stood up in the gallery and started singing "Cease-fire now" and "Let Gaza Live." The Assembly adjourned the session.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Jewish protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza disrupt first day of California legislative session

Protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted the first day of California’s legislative session.

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Beijing, Oct. 25, 2023. Newsom signed hundreds of new laws in 2023 that will take effect in California on Jan. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan,File)

A tax increase, LGBTQ+ youth protections and more sick leave highlight California’s new laws in 2024

A new year brings new laws in California. Most of the new laws Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2023 take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

FILE – People wait to enter a gun store in Culver City, Calif., on Sunday, March 15, 2020. A federal judge has struck down a California law Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, that would ban people from carrying guns in most public places. It's one of several legal challenges pending against California's gun laws. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)

Things to know about a federal judge’s ruling temporarily blocking California’s gun law

California has some of the most strict gun laws in the country. But that doesn’t mean it has been easy for Democrats to restrict access to guns.

Lakeisha Bryant, public information representative at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, holds flasks of water before and after it is purified at the Silicon Valley Advance Purification Center, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. California regulators are set to vote on new rules Tuesday, Dec. 19, to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Drought-prone California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water

California regulators have approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani listens to questions during a baseball news conference at Dodger Stadium Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers could come with bonus of mostly avoiding California taxes

Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani’s new contract could have the added benefit of avoiding most of California’s income tax.

FILE - The Sacramento River flows under the Tower Bridge in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2019. On Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration released the final environmental impact report for a project to build a tunnel to transport water from Northern California to Southern California. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP, File)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom advances water tunnel project amid opposition from environmental groups

A long-delayed water project in California has reached a key milestone. The Department of Water Resources on Friday released its final environmental report for an underground tunnel project.

FILE -- Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek, left, discusses Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed 2020-21 revised state budget during a hearing the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., May 26, 2020. On Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, Petek said California is facing a $68 billion budget deficit. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)

California faces record $68 billion budget deficit, nonpartisan legislative analyst says

California is facing a $68 billion budget deficit. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said Thursday that most of the deficit comes from lower than expected tax revenues this year.

FILE - A Brightline train is shown at a station in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 11, 2018. A high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area is getting a Biden administration pledge of $3 billion to help start laying track. Nevada's two Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 the $12 billion project led by Brightline West has all required right-of-way, environmental and labor approvals. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Biden administration pledges $6 billion to a pair of high-speed electric rail routes in the US West

The Biden administration said it will give more than $6 billion to a pair of high-speed electric rail routes in the West.

CORRECTS LOCATION TO SAFE CREDIT UNION CONVENTION CENTER INSTEAD OF MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM - Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wrestle with security personnel as they carry a banner during a protest at SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Sacramento, Calif. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP)

California Democrats cancel some convention events amid large Gaza cease-fire demonstration

California Democratic Party leaders have canceled a portion of their state convention following a large demonstration calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

FILE - Paul Standen, senior director of underground regional delivery, second from right, and project manager Jeremy Schanaker, right, look on during a tour of a Pacific Gas and Electric crew burying power lines in Vacaville, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. On Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan for PG&E to bury 1,230 miles of power lines to reduce the risk of starting wildfires. The plan is a big part of an overall increase in rates that will raise utility bills by more than $32 per month for the average customer. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

PG&E bills will go up by more than $32 per month next year in part to pay for wildfire protections

About 16 million people in California will pay higher electric and gas bills next year. The California Public Utilities Commission voted on Thursday to increase the typical bill for Pacific Gas & Electric customers by more than $32 per month.

California state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins looks on during a briefing with district representatives, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in San Diego. Atkins is preparing to step down from her leadership post early next year, though she could make history again with a run for governor. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

California’s first lesbian Senate leader could make history again if she runs for governor

The first lesbian leader of the California Senate is thinking about trying to make history again — with a run for the governor’s office.

The sun sets over Valley Ridge Drive, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Paradise, Calif. Empty lots, homes under construction and residences built after the Camp Fire line the street. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

5 years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors forge different paths toward recovery

Paradise is still recovering five years after a wildfire destroyed most of the northern California town.