Things to Do in L.A. Seen through a magazine, Christin Evans is photographed at her bookstore, the Booksmith, in San Francisco. Evans says health insurance costs have leaped 17% this year, forcing her to cut staff hours. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

A new poll shows Xavier Becerra with a hefty lead in the California governor's race. Voters also expressed strong opposition to AI data centers and nuanced views on environmental policies and affordability.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. DMV could revoke thousands of California licenses due to mysterious testing'anomalies' The DMV informed about 11,000 California residents that they must retake their written driver's license test within 30 days. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Tech leaders funding Matt Mahan's campaign for California governor say it's not about tech This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . San José Mayor Matt Mahan's late-entry bid for California governor has been supercharged by millions from Silicon Valley billionaires. Critics say that will make Mahan beholden to Big Tech if he wins, but several of his funders from the tech sector said their backing isn't about deregulation or favors, but Mahan's centrist focus on crime, homelessness, housing and education.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Bernie Sanders kicks off billionaires tax campaign with choice words for the'oligarchs' Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks Wednesday night at the Wiltern at the formal kickoff of the campaign for the California billionaires tax. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . Populist Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday formally kicked off the campaign to place a billionaires tax on the November ballot, framing the proposal as something larger than a debate about economic and tax policy as he appeared at a storied Los Angeles venue.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. An attendee plays the Monster Hunter Wilds video game on the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro console during the Tokyo Game Show 2024 at Makuhari Messe in 2024 in Chiba, Japan. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . With the start of the new year, Californians will pay a new fee every time they buy a product with a nonremovable battery -- whether it's a power tool, a PlayStation or even a singing greeting card.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Millions of Californians are getting a refund on their electric bill. Credits for Californians on October electric bills are set to go up in the coming years, according to the governor's office. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday announced a new digital democracy initiative that will attempt to connect residents directly with government officials in times of disaster and allow them to express their concerns about matters affecting their day-to-day lives. The web-based initiative, called Engaged California, will go live with a focus on aiding victims of the deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena who are struggling to recover. For example, comments shared via the online forum could potentially prompt government action regarding insurance coverage, building standards or efforts to require utilities to bury power lines underground. In a written statement, Newsom described the pilot program as "a town hall for the modern era -- where Californians share their perspectives, concerns, and ideas geared toward finding real solutions." "We're starting this effort by more directly involving Californians in the LA firestorm response and recovery," he added.

Tens of thousands of Californians are turning to a crowdsourced, nonprofit app called Watch Duty for critical, up-to-the-moment disaster updates as deadly fires continue to rage through the state. The app, which uses a mixture of official government and volunteer data to track wildfires, surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta's Threads as the most downloaded app on the Apple App Store on Wednesday. Social media users have encouraged residents in affected areas to download the app in order to track the fire's rapid movements and stay aware of possible evacuation orders. Apps like Watch Duty, which have seen a surge in interest in recent years, may become even more important as climate change-related natural disasters intensify in scope and scale. It gives you updates on fires nearby, evacuation notices, and even will show you where an evacuation center is if you need to evacuate!

California governor Gavin Newsom recently killed SB1047, a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence safety bill, arguing that its focus on only the largest AI models leaves out smaller ones that can also be risky. Instead, he says, we should pass comprehensive regulations on the technology. Despite claims by prominent opponents of the bill that "literally no one wants this," SB1047 was popular – really popular. It passed the California legislature with an average of two-thirds of each chamber voting in favor. Six statewide polls that presented pro and con arguments for the bill show strong majorities in support, which rose over time.