State and Local Politics and Policy
It’s especially hard to get low-income Americans living in multifamily buildings across the digital divide. But states and nonprofits are finding ways to do it.
With action at federal, state and local levels, along with surging demand for EVs, the energy transition accelerated remarkably in the last 12 months.
The final tallies of the District 81 race recount showed Stoltenberg with 5,073 votes while Democrat Craig Cooper had 5,062, resulting in a flipped winner from the initial count. The win gives the GOP a 64-36 House majority.
The federal government released guidelines on how to spend its $2.3 billion in Amtrak expansion money, but it’s not yet clear if Ohio will build new passenger rail service between its major cities.
Women made a strong showing in legislative races across the country in this year's midterm elections. Meanwhile, polarization is a renewable resource, Krasner's complaint and annals of election denial.
With its weak-mayor form of government, the capital city’s top job only has so much power. But the issue of housing affordability has consumed the race, which will end in a runoff between two Democrats next week.
Excess-mortality statistics show that the U.S. fared worse than other wealthy countries, and that places with low vaccination rates were hit the hardest. There could be 465,747 more Americans alive today if we’d done as well as New Zealand.
The Moore v. Harper case that went before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Dec. 7, was focused on redistricting, but opponents of the case claim that it could cause problems with recounts, voter ID and the balance of power.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week that thousands of residents will see their cannabis possession convictions either fully or partially erased as part of the 2021 law that legalized use of the substance.
Come January, eleven states and Washington, D.C., will allow children without permanent legal status to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP. The change is costing states millions of dollars.
A study from the Center for Legislative Accountability found that the state’s legislature voted conservatively in 74 percent of votes the report tracked. The 2023 legislative session will begin in March.
Proponents of the voting method argue it leads to better representation of voters’ viewpoints and more collegial campaigning while eliminating the need for costly runoff elections. Opponents say it’s too complicated.
Too often, our policy responses are guided by fear rather than evidence.
The newly elected Legislature will convene on Dec. 7 for the first time and will immediately face several big issues, including a long-awaited emergency heating and energy assistance package for state residents.
The Bay Area’s tech layoffs and cost-cutting efforts have continued to dampen San Francisco’s office market, and could exacerbate a slowdown in Silicon Valley as well. The city’s vacancy rate in Q3 was 25.5 percent.
A new bill would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and limit gun accessibility for those under 21. A sweeping federal complaint has been filed in the state court system in the wake of the Highland Park shooting.
Amid a call to incorporate tribal knowledge in environmental protection, a state agency has set a standard for authentic consultation. A history of fights over water in Owens Valley embodies the tension between growth and stewardship.
We’ve tried several approaches, and all have their strengths and weaknesses. But one relic of the Progressive Era is on the way out.
Rides on public transit had been declining before COVID-19 hit. Solutions to boost ridership back to pre-pandemic levels exist, but some are expensive and will take time and political will to sustain.
The new district lines would center the city in three assembly districts, instead of the current five. The commission wants to create districts with roughly the same population sizes, without unnecessarily splitting cities.
As many expect another winter surge for COVID-19, cities across California are updating their policies and response to the virus. Meanwhile, former President Clinton tests positive, Paxlovid is safe for pregnancies and other updates.
More voters were willing to support both Republicans and Democrats than they had been for years. But while many made different choices for governor and Senate, most voted for one party or the other pretty much down the line.
Twenty-two Republican-leaning states have urged the court to block beneficiaries from suing if a state or municipality denies them services they are eligible for or violates their rights. Many reject the contract argument.
Some are advocating bringing it back. But it doesn’t get many guns off the streets, it exacts a heavy toll on those who are stopped, and it corrodes trust in police.
It’s not just about the dollars but about spending the money effectively. The focus should be on reducing costs for the private companies that provide most of the investment, rather than propping up sickly projects.
The Pennsylvania county is delaying its certification of the Nov. 8 election results because of pending recounts. The interruption has forced the county to miss the state’s deadline for certification.
Black lawmakers started getting elected to the state Legislature in the 1960s, but the General Assembly has been mostly composed of white lawmakers. Next year, at least 83 of the 236 members will be nonwhite.
A museum and memorial in a onetime Confederate capital preserve the memories of slavery, lynching and Jim Crow. Yet too much of that past is still around us.
A maritime high school draws students from every borough and every background. The school's career-themed curriculum is as novel as its location, with an emphasis on the marine sciences.
They face many a myriad of negative outcomes, ranging from homelessness to involvement with the criminal justice system and unplanned pregnancies. But one county’s approach shows promise in helping these youth build better lives.
Amid account verification turmoil and warnings of potential outages at Twitter, some agencies say they have no plans to leave, but are alerting users to other social media options and tips for spotting real accounts.
