Californians can now add their driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet on both their iPhones and Apple Watches, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sept. 19. It’s part of the state’s mobile driver’s license pilot program, which is currently limited to 1.5 million participants. Last month, the governor announced the same update for Google Wallet. […]

As the recent Northern California fire reshuffles the list of the state’s largest wildfires, the Park fire has now become California’s fifth largest on record by area burned in less than a week. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), seven of the 10 largest wildfires in California’s history have […]

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s attorney reportedly resigned hours after she made her first public statement on June 24—four days after the FBI raided her residence. The mayor said she isn’t involved in wrongdoing, at the press conference Monday morning. “I want to be crystal clear; I have done nothing wrong,” the mayor told reporters at […]

Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan was convicted March 27 of federal racketeering conspiracy and bribery charges for his involvement in a pay-to-play scheme to monetize the real estate approval process at City Hall. A federal criminal jury in downtown Los Angeles reached a verdict just over an hour into deliberations, finding Mr. Chan […]

Large retailers will soon be subject to fines under a new California law that takes effect in a few weeks if they fail to designate a gender-neutral toy section. Under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, department stores with 500 or more employees in California that sell children’s products are required to […]

A black market Chinese biolab in Reedley, California, located about 25 miles southeast of Fresno, received $1.3 million in unexplained payments from banks in China while in operation, according to U.S. lawmakers. The illegal biolab had thousands of vials and other containers, some labeled with potentially deadly infectious agents on site, including HIV and Ebola, […]

IRVINE, Calif.—Local officials attended a ribbon-cutting for The Epoch Times’s Orange County new office Sept. 19. The 27,000-square-foot office—located in the Marketplace Center—represents a significant enhancement for the newspaper since the local branch’s inception in 2019. General Manager Siyamak Khorrami expressed gratitude for the edition’s growth and conveyed the news team’s enthusiasm to persist as […]

Small business owners—including those at an El Monte, California, jewelry store—said an increasing number of smash-and-grabs are hurting their livelihoods, and authorities need to change soft-on-crime policies, after a family fended off an attempted robbery at their store Sept. 2. Although no merchandise was taken, the owners of Meza’s Jewelry store at 10900 Main St., […]

After a newborn baby was found abandoned in a bathroom trash can in a Fullerton, California gas station on March 9, a woman was arrested the next day a half mile away from the station, according to police. Venissa Maldonado, 25, of Fullerton, was taken into custody Friday for attempted murder and felony child abuse […]

As Californians get ready to turn the page on 2022, hundreds of new laws will go into effect starting Jan. 1. From increasing the minimum wage to legalizing jaywalking to shielding criminal records, the new laws will impact employment, health care, housing, public safety, and consumer protection. Here’s a look at what to expect in […]