The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from California

Drones, Fences and Sensors Influence Immigration Debate

Border security is a big part of the immigration overhaul. But who will define it?

Attorneys General Prepare to Defend Controversial Laws

State attorneys general are about to head to court to defend controversial state laws. Are they required to defend laws that might not survive legal scrutiny?

Safety Net Hospitals Won’t Be Docked in States That Don’t Expand Medicaid

Hospitals in non-expansion states feared they would be hit with bigger federal funding cuts than those in expansion states. HHS says that won’t happen – at least for the first two years.

States Unleash the Hounds! Sniffing Out Invasive Mussels

Minnesota officials hope man’s best friend will help the state quash its zebra mussel invasion.

Forest Service Tries to Claw Back Funds from States

The U.S. Forest Service thinks it has found a way to meet its sequester target – by asking states to return money to Washington.

Registry Finds More Exonerations in 2012

Since 1989, at least 1,089 people convicted of crimes have been officially cleared based on new evidence of their innocence, according to the National Registry of Exonerations annual report released Wednesday.

Sequester Cuts at Justice Department Threaten Local Drug Investigations

The partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C. threatens to curb drug investigations in rural communities.

Legislatures Consider Limits on Prisoner Deportations Through Secure Communities

As Congress considers major revisions to federal immigration laws, legislators in a few states are trying to curb the federal government’s power to deport immigrants who land in jail.

Higher Ed Cuts Mean Major Tuition Hikes

Tuition at public colleges in Arizona and California has spiked more than 70 percent over the past five years, the result of massive cuts to state higher education funding in those states and most others.

30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot

Pew recently updated its 30-city snapshot interactive, with new data on population, home values, income and unemployment. Pew's American Cities Project focuses on the biggest city in the nation's 30 largest metro areas.

Orange County, California, Poll Workers

Since 2009, the Orange County registrar of voters has been conducting customer service surveys, including surveys of poll workers.

States in Recovery: Housing

The housing crisis that threw states into economic free fall is helping them climb back out.

Which State Will Be Next to Allow Fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing continues as a hot-button issue across statehouses, as lawmakers consider how much scrutiny to apply to oil and gas drillers looking to tap shale deposits stretching beneath 31 states. New York, Illinois, California and North Carolina are home to some high-profile debates.

Mail Ballots in Contra Costa County, California

A newly released report from Contra Costa County, California, shows more voters than ever voted by mail in the November 2012 presidential election, reflecting a general trend in California.

Advocates for Climate Action Urge Insurers to Join Up

Some are pushing the insurance industry to not only to crank up the volume on its longstanding calls for hardier building and safer land use in disaster-prone areas, but also to push for cuts to the carbon emissions.

Governors Balance Pardons With Politics

Governors are more reluctant to use their pardon power in the face of heightened political scrutiny. But some still issue regular pardons.

Governing: How Can States Eliminate Medicaid Fraud?

Eradicating Medicaid fraud has become a central focus for states in recent years, especially as the low-income insurance program has consumed more and more of state budgets.

Public Safety in California

Public Safety Performance Project > State Work > California In 2011, the Supreme Court ordered California to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates within two years. In response, the state implemented what is likely

Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike, Offers Compromise

Governor Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed legislation that would have boosted New Jersey’s minimum wage. Instead, he proposed a compromise that New Jersey lawmakers appear unlikely to accept.

Issue To Watch: School Testing

A number of states are pushing to up the stakes on reading tests for younger students and assign letter grades to schools.

California State of the State Address 2013

SACRAMENTO, California -- Jan. 24 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) 2013 State of the State Address:

Online Voter Registration in California

A recent study from the University of California, Davis found that after online voter registration became available in the state on September 19, 2012, approximately half of all voter registrations came via this method.

Voter List Maintenance in Orange County, California

Late last year, we featured the significant amount of post-election data provided by the registrar’s office in Orange County, California. The office also provides a great deal of information related to other aspects of election administration, including reports on voter registration accuracy and voter list maintenance.

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: California

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California Lawmaker Proposes New Controls on Bullet Sales

In an effort to curb gun violence, a California lawmaker has proposed legislation that would tighten oversight of bullet sales.

As Federal Immigration Overhaul Looms, California Schools Slash Adult English Classes

Requiring immigrants to learn English would likely be a key component of any federal immigration overhaul. But widespread cuts to English programs in California show that even that requirement may not be easy to roll out.

Report: Death Penalty Becoming “Irrelevant”

This year marked more decline in the usage of the death penalty, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

New York, California Seek Ways to Help Fiscally Fragile Cities

Top officials in two of the nation’s largest states have decided they need to do more to avert disaster in communities that are having budget trouble.

Best of #StateReads: California Leads U.S. Pay Giveaway

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

States Begin Giving Driver’s Licenses to Young Immigrants

The federal government thrust states back into dealing with the contentious issue of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, after years when the practice had become rare and the issue dropped off most legislative agendas.

Elections by the Numbers—Orange County, California

We have highlighted several counties in the past that do an excellent job of sharing up-to-date elections data. The Orange County, California Registrar of Voters has taken this a step further and now provides an interactive feature on its website to share and visualize its election data.

In the West, GOP Governors, Skeptical of Cap-and-Trade, Will Watch California

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-- Stateline asked several Republican governors about the role of climate change in energy policy in the West, asking them to weigh in on California’s new experiment with large-scale carbon trading.

California’s High-Speed Rail Gains Momentum, But Doubts Remain

A project to whisk train passengers from L.A. to San Francisco in under three hours project keeps moving forward, despite critics who call it a pipe dream. But completion could be two decades away.

Courts Embrace Technology, Advocacy To Stay Afloat

Investing in technology has helped state courts to better weather the recession, according to a group of state chief justices, court administrators and legislators who met in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (November 15).

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: California

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

States Challenge ‘Secret’ Campaign Money

With the rise in undisclosed political spending by non-profit groups, officials in several states are trying to figure where the money is coming from.

Best of #StateReads: Why Colorado Children Die of Abuse and Neglect

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Super-Sized Majorities Shift Legislative Power

After he was reelected by a comfortable margin on Tuesday, Democrat Jay Nixon will serve four more years as governor of Missouri. Whether he’ll really be leading the state, however, is open to debate. Even as Nixon was winning, Missouri Republicans triumphed in enough legislative races to secure a veto-proof two-th

Unions Make Strong Showing at the Polls

Labor won big contests in Indiana, California and New Hampshire, while results were mixed in Michigan.

California Voters Pass Proposition 36 to Reform “Three Strikes” Law

Adam Gelb of The Pew Center on the States released the following statement today after Proposition 36 passed with a large majority of the vote in California. The referendum will modify elements of California's "Three Strikes" Law, which was first approved by the state's voters in 1994.

California's Military and Overseas Voters

Military and overseas voters in San Mateo County have been using new technology to download their absentee ballots.

Online Voter Registration in LA County

In October, we wrote about preparing for elections in Los Angeles County, including the processing of hundreds of thousands of voter registration applications in the month leading up to Election Day. With the election now upon us, new data show a significant number of voters registered using the state’s new online system

Best of #StateReads: Michigan Term Limits Encourage Politicians To Go Professional

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Online Voter Registration Update

Earlier this month, we wrote about 13 states that now allow voters to register or update their registration information online, including five that rolled out this option statewide for the first time this year.

Preparing for Election Day in the Country’s Most Populous Jurisdiction

Los Angeles County, California, which currently has more than 4.5 million registered voters, is the most populous election jurisdiction in the nation. Preparing for Election Day in a jurisdiction this size is a logistical challenge to say the least and with that day fast approaching, election officials have a lot to do to get ready.

Best of #StateReads: Abuse Suits Against Scouts Hinge on State Laws

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Poll Worker Pay

New research from the Pew Center on the States examines poll worker stipends from the country’s most populous election jurisdictions—Pew researchers looked at these counties’ election websites and contacted their elections offices—and found significant variation.

Could a Recount of Prisoners Affect Elections?

Four states now count prisoners at their last known home address rather than where they’re incarcerated. Could this affect election outcomes?

States Roll Out and Expand Online Voter Registration, Increase Efficiencies

In Nevada, new registrations jumped following a campaign to promote online registration, including television and radio ads, meetings with business leaders and students, and promotional outreach for National Voter Registration Day.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in California

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Six of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in California and hold 62 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in California may be paying.