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.
The Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate received a scholarship from the University of Southern California’s social work program, valued at nearly $100,000, which some argue is evidence for a broader bribery and corruption case against the department.
Brown County, Ill., officials and justice system officers are voicing concerns over a change to the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equality-Today Act that would do away with the state’s cash bail system.
Water pressure is back in Mississippi's capital but it's still not safe to drink. Residents have been through this so many times that they've learned how to cope. That doesn't mean they're happy.
The Williams sisters’ story is about more than glory, grit and power. Among other things, it shows how investments in public parks and recreational programs can help many reach their potential.
The New Hampshire city removed roughly 30 percent of its voters, who had not cast a ballot within the last four years, a process that municipalities statewide must undergo every 10 years. The primary election is Sept. 13.
Some civic leaders in Morrow County have crafted a lurcative deal that gives the e-commerce giant tax fiber-optic services along with tax breaks worth nearly $50 million a year.
Democrats shouldn't count their chickens yet; what happens when election deniers run elections; and what the courts have to say.
The 20-state network is used by businesses to track criminal activity in real time and quickly share security video, cellphone images and other information with law enforcement.
The measure would loan California's electricity supplier Pacific Gas & Electric up to $1.4 billion to keep the Diablo Canyon plant open until 2030. It also makes $1 billion available to support clean energy projects.
The pivot to free fares is one piece of a massive 16-year, nearly $17 billion transportation funding measure passed mostly along party lines during the 2022 legislative session in Olympia, the state's capital.
The state’s new voting law went into effect on Sunday, Aug. 28, which includes a photo ID requirement on election day, changes to who can register voters and how absentee voting will work. Those without ID will need to take extra steps to vote.
Access to broadband Internet can dramatically alter quality of life and economic prospects in rural areas, including long-neglected tribal nations. New federal funding is helping to fill some of the gaps in the high-speed network.
Coffee County let outsiders copy confidential voting data without any scrutiny from legislators. Meanwhile, Fulton County has been under investigation for more than a year. One key difference may be who they voted for in 2020.
Colorado’s Sen. Kevin Priola announced on Aug. 22 that he had switched political parties, citing the Republican Party’s lack of outrage to the Jan. 6 insurrection, but that he would not change his votes based on his new party.
In the state and local gov tech industry, about one-sixth of funding opportunities are for cloud computing services. Overall, the use of cloud services in the past decade has risen across all industries.
Car-Crazy Los Angeles now has more train and bus riders than the San Francisco Bay Area. As of June 2022, Los Angeles County has recovered 71 percent of its ridership compared to 55 percent in the Bay Area.
Community-based organizations know how to register voters and increase census participation. Reaching out block by block, even door to door, they can be just as effective in boosting vaccination rates.
Data collected from sewage water generates more accurate and economical information on COVID-19 activity than reports that depend on positive test results. But funding for this type of analysis hasn’t been reliable.
The vast majority of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement nationwide are built from parts made by Polymer80, which has managed to evade laws forbidding the manufacture of unserialized gun parts.
The Republican secretary of state claims that the biggest threat to the state’s elections is not fraud, but the people who are claiming election fraud exists and the danger that those conspiracy theories create.
Grace Rink, who does the job for the city of Denver using a taxpayer-supported fund specifically for climate action, explains why it’s vital.
They’ve outlived their usefulness and stand in the way of getting anything done for Americans. We should turn to electoral approaches that diminish their impact and influence.
A recent poll found that 70 percent of California voters support a measure to amend the state’s constitution to include abortion rights protections. Some believe the abortion issue will drive voters to the polls come November.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab confirmed that a recount of the failed abortion amendment would cost $120,000. In response, anti-abortion activist Mark Gietzen filed a lawsuit demanding a hand recount without cost.
Most of the states we live in appear to be solidly Republican or Democrat. These maps offer a chance to look beneath the surface at the shades of partisan control.
With 36 governorships at stake, more women from both parties are running this year, and more are winning their primaries. That’s happening despite the fact that women must overcome barriers that few men face.
Firearms researchers have tied gun shows to illegal purchases and ghost guns. California is the first state to end the shows on state property. Officials hope the ban helps lay the groundwork for other states.
The city will reduce its number of voting precincts by nearly 40 percent, which is expected to save as much as $2 million. However, the reduction also means that many voters’ polling places will change for the November election.
Much of the information presented about the coronavirus pandemic fails to include data about the virus’ impact within the corrections system. Many jails in Georgia have contradicting or undercounted information.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and former Arizona Congressmember Gabby Giffords partnered to open a new phone bank location in Santa Fe and spoke against gun violence at events across the state.
