Bakersfield
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
News You Might Have Missed
Stefi Mar September 15, 2026
News You Might Have Missed
By the time Democrat Xavier Becerra left Washington, D.C., more Americans than ever had health insurance, owing partly to his work over the years to pass, defend, and expand the Affordable Care Act.
As we turn the calendar to the month of September, summer is officially in the rearview mirror. Last week I had the joy of welcoming children into their first formal year of school from many different homes, communities, and backgrounds. As a virtual kindergarten teacher, families often ask me what children should know before kindergarten. Should they recognize every letter? Count to 100? Read simple books?
California voters will decide in November whether Proposition (Prop) 38 should authorize substantial state funding for immunology and immunotherapy research.
A federal judge in July gave digital equity advocates a partial victory against President Donald Trump, stopping his attempt to unilaterally kill a multibillion-dollar grant program Congress created.
In a neighborhood where conversations about food insecurity often center on scarcity, Philadelphia’s Tindley Tea Cafe offers a different narrative: abundance with purpose.
Days after Gov. Newsom signed a law letting the DMV share driver data with a national clearinghouse, California learned Homeland Security had demanded millions of commercial driver records from that same nonprofit — for purposes including immigration enforcement. A federal judge has frozen the handover while the states, California among them, fight the subpoena in court.
Angela Hagler’s Shafter townhome, about 13 miles outside Bakersfield, includes basic household furnishings, other than a bench in the living room the 57-year-old uses to lift her 16-year-old granddaughter into a bathtub specially outfitted for amputees.
Fifteen years after NATO warplanes went up over Libya, the country still has no single government, no national elections, and no agreed-upon constitution. That outcome deserves more attention than it usually receives in American political discussions, because it is the most telling lesson about what happens when a military intervention succeeds at its stated objective but fails at everything that follows.
Black Americans are intensely aware of the connection between food and health but face economic and structural barriers that limit what they can actually put on the table, according to a new report from Word In Black’s Insights & Research Division.
Authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland), Assembly Bill (AB) 2115 officially passed the California Legislature on Aug. 26 and has advanced to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
News You Might Have Missed
In November, California voters will decide on Proposition (Prop) 45, also known as the “Building an Affordable California Act” or the Expedited Environmental Review Process for Certain Projects Initiative.
The summer before I started medical school, I learned something surprising about my own health history. As part of the enrollment process, I had to provide immunization records and blood tests showing immunity. That’s when I discovered I did not have all my childhood vaccinations.
A California rule requiring an unrelated adult man living with a family receiving welfare benefits to contribute financially to the household could be repealed if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs Senate Bill (SB) 1030 into law.
So right now, I have to ask: are we really supposed to take none of this at face value?
As a young Black man, I find this topic personal. When people discuss mental health, they usually don’t picture someone who looks like me. Instead, Black men are often seen as strong, tough, or able to handle anything life throws at us.
Bolanle Ambonisye knew she had stumbled onto something when parents began using her name to get their children to behave.
After 35 years with the Bakersfield City School District, Lewis Neal leaves behind generations of students, mentors, and a blueprint for the work to continue.
The Truth in Disclosure Act, the bill that proposes forcing private corporations to report their historical ties to chattel slavery, passed out of the California Legislature and has now moved to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto.