Disney embraces $15 minimum wage in negotiations with workers
Disney says that marks the largest increase to starting wages it’s ever offered.
California
Stockton, CA becomes first U.S. city to test universal basic income
Stockton, Calif., hopes to become an exhibition ground for fighting poverty with a simple yet unorthodox experiment: giving $500 a month in donated cash to perhaps 100 local families, no strings attached.
Premature birth rates drop in California after coal and oil plants shut down, study finds
Within a year of eight coal- and oil-fired power plant retirements, the rate of preterm births in mothers living close by dropped, finds new study on air pollution.
California becomes first state to order solar on new homes
Most new units built after Jan. 1, 2020, will be required to include solar systems as part of the standards adopted by the California Energy Commission.
California laws seek to limit surveillance technology
California privacy advocates say it is “more critical than ever that the amount of surveillance and personal data collected be the bare minimum, to ensure the safety of our community from unlawful and inhumane targeting.”
California hits new utility-scale solar generation record of 10.5 GW
For the first time in the state’s history utility-scale solar generation surpassed 10.5 gigawatts. Then two days later, that record was broken when 10,539 megawatts were generated.
Truckee becomes 50th U.S. City to commit to 100% clean, renewable energy
50 cities and towns across the United States have now committed to transition to 100 percent clean, renewable sources of energy like wind and solar.
California approves statewide plastic bag ban
Californians now face a new grocery-store reality: No more plastic bags. Voters approved Proposition 67, the statewide ban on carry-out plastic bags, 52 percent to 48 percent.
California voters approve gun control measure Proposition 63
The initiative outlaws the possession of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, requires background checks for people buying bullets, makes it a crime not to report lost or stolen guns, and provides a process for taking guns from people upon their conviction for a felony.
California becomes first state to legally recognize a third gender
SB 179 helps people of all gender identities be their authentic selves.