More companies are eschewing manicured grass in favor of native plants, a shift driven by the environmental costs of installing and maintaining lawns.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A bill that would ban the testing of autonomous vehicles over 10,000 pounds cleared the California Assembly May 31 and was sent to the state Senate. The bill was strongly supported by both the Teamsters and the California Labor Federation.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), who chairs the Transportation Committee, explained that leaving the task of supervising testing of autonomous large vehicles to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is not an acceptable option.

Claire Fenn grew up listening to Taylor Swift’s music, so when the artist announced her latest tour, she jumped at the chance to buy tickets.

Like many heartbroken Swift fans, though, Fenn didn’t score tickets. After being placed on the waitlist for Ticketmaster’s presale in November, the 21-year-old embarked on what feels like an “impossible” feat of finding concert tickets she can afford.

A significant piece of legislation for veterinary telemedicine is making its way through the California legislature, with a committee hearing scheduled for July 10. The legislation still needs to pass a Senate vote, and TCR will be covering it, including but not limited to stakeholders, lobbyists, and key policy debates.

According to an ASPCA survey of a representative sample of U.S. pet owners, over the past the two years, about a quarter of respondents said they were unable to access veterinary care, with over 40 percent saying they couldn’t afford it.

Human health care has long relied on safe and convenient telehealth services to maximize access to medical professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care moved from an option to a necessity because it was essential to minimize the spread of disease, and today, telehealth for humans is commonplace. In all 50 states, physicians can use video technology to establish new doctor-patient relationships and diagnose and treat current and new patients, including infants and nonverbal adults.

LONG HAUL: The trucking industry wants California to be like Texas. Or maybe Nebraska.

Or, for that matter, like any of at least five states that have rejected proposals to require a human on board all self-driving trucks — which the tech industry hopes will be rolling down roads in the not-too-distant future.

California, so far, is saying no way. Legislation that would require humans on board easily passed in the Assembly last month and is now coming up in the Senate. Fierce lobbying is underway.

For many a householder or farmer, poison can be the easiest option to get rid of rats and mice, but the effect goes beyond rodent pests. Rat poisons have been found in dead or ailing big cats, predatory birds, and small humans. Recently, the necropsy of P-22, the mountain lion once caught by a trail camera against the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, found exposure to five different anticoagulant rodenticides in his liver. A bill to add one of them — diphacinone — to California’s list of banned poisons is on its way through the State Senate.

Since first taking Assembly office in 2016, I’ve worked to strengthen the safety net for transition-age foster youth, particularly when it comes to ensuring they have access to safe and supportive housing. I’ve successfully passed bills to provide financial support to cover housing costs for foster youth enrolled in college. I’ve also worked to cut the bureaucratic red tape that limited options for transition-age youth and foster care providers. And I’ve worked to secure additional funding for housing services in the state budget.

Bill by Assemblymem

Cameras that can automatically send tickets to motorists who are speeding moved a big step closer to reaching city streets after the bill that would legalize such ticketing got state Assembly approval in late May by a wide margin.

Assembly Bill 645, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, authorizes “speed camera” pilot programs in school zones and on high-injury streets with speeding problems in six cities, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco.

The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA was selected as a 2023 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Laura Friedman of the 44th Assembly District. The ARS of Western USA is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that were honored by state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve.