California's cannabis culture wars converge on billboards

Alexander Nieves, Politico

Recreational cannabis may be legal in California, but debate rages on over how visible the once-taboo plant should be in daily life — namely, along the state's roadways.

A fight is brewing in the state Legislature over cannabis-related billboards that have sprung up around the state, advertising tools the industry says are necessary to support the struggling legal market but that opponents argue expose children to a potentially harmful substance.

Legislators criticize state’s vaccine strategy

Claim Bay Area is unaddressed under new plan, areas that should be prioritized aren’t

Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation

Nearly two dozen state legislators representing the Bay Area sent a letter to state public health officials Friday urging them to recalibrate the state’s new formula for vaccinating the communities hit hardest by COVID-19.

Legislative Update: Transit Boards, High-Speed Rail, New Agencies

Continuing our very early look at upcoming California bills

Melanie Curry

 

It is still early to know what will happen with many of the bills being floated by legislators this year, especially in the context of last year’s major disruption of the session and its ongoing effects. But they do give an idea what is on their minds. Among them are some bills aiming at changing governance structures at transit agencies.

Transit Boards

Assembly Committee Holds Hearing on Microplastic Pollution in Water, Environment

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), hosted a hearing on microplastics titled “Microplastics in our Water and Environment: Understanding a Growing Pollution Source.” This informational hearing brought together scientists from California, Canada and Europe, who shared their latest research on microplasti

Does this Make Sense? Gasoline Delivered to Your Car

"Gas trucks fill your vehicle where it is parked"
 
Anne C. Mulkern, E&E News / Scientific American
 
 
Some California drivers no longer go to the gas station—and it’s not because they drive electric cars.
 
Gasoline increasingly is being delivered into the fuel tanks of cars while their owners work or as they spend time at home.
 
It’s a trend in Silicon Valley, where technology companies offer fuss-free fill-ups to employees as a perk.

No more urine tests: Proposed California law would end most workplace marijuana tests

Andrew Sheeler

 

California adults can smoke marijuana without fear of going to jail, but using it after hours can still have consequences at work.

A new bill in the Legislature aims to end a still common employment practice five years after Californians voted to legalize recreational cannabis in which private companies require can workers to test for marijuana use.

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