The Watershed Project and city partners outlined a community-driven sea-level-rise resilience planning effort for Richmond’s shoreline. Staff asked residents to help confirm vulnerable assets and priorities; the plan will move to design and funding phases and is expected to span several years.

Scores of speakers from the San Bernardino airport community and advocacy groups urged council not to renew the city's contract with Flock over privacy and possible data sharing with federal agencies; speakers asked council to place the contract on the next agenda before the March 31 renewal date.

Committee members said theft and vandalism of EV-charger and shared-vehicle infrastructure has repeatedly taken chargers offline; they pointed to California Assembly Bill 425 as newly strengthened law that tightens recycler records, increases fines and criminalizes organized metal theft.

The district presented its midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan, detailing five priorities, 72 actions and a roughly $161 million set of LCAP and related funds, with officials pointing to expanded coaching and EL supports but acknowledging ongoing gaps for English learners.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a 23-item 2025 code amendment package that removes a 25% unenclosed porch limit for accessory dwelling units, creates standards for movable tiny homes and electrified fences in nonresidential zones, and adds a narrow parcel‑split exception in agricultural zones; staff and public speakers flagged implementation issues for snow loads and tiny‑home manufacturers.

Casey Fritz of 0 Waste Marin told the Corte Madera committee that the countywide JPA enforces California waste laws (including SB 1383), runs a decade‑old schools program that has prevented nearly 18,000 tons of greenhouse‑gas emissions, and coordinates household hazardous‑waste collection and outreach.

County leaders and statewide housing advocates told the Assembly subcommittee that HAP has produced housing outcomes and urged the state to make funding ongoing or multi‑year, consolidate reporting and avoid requirements that would delay distribution of funds to local programs.

A Leica/diagnostics representative told the Assembly select committee that digitizing pathology slides and applying FDA‑cleared AI tools can speed diagnoses and reduce rural disparities, but infrastructure costs and lack of reimbursement keep U.S. adoption below 5%.

Public commenters including the Utility Wildfire Survivor Coalition and Consumer Watchdog said survivors have not yet felt recovery on the ground and warned that streamlining interveners could reduce public participation; industry groups welcomed insurer filings but cautioned the rollout will take time.

A Y Combinator‑backed founder told the Assembly committee that permitting timelines, zoning and thin local contract manufacturing capacity make California less viable for scaling medtech manufacturing, and asked the committee to streamline permits and offer incentives.

Legislators and witnesses at a California State Assembly subcommittee hearing debated whether stricter accountability for the Homelessness Assistance and Prevention (HAP) program is slowing disbursement and undermining local services — and whether consolidated reporting and multi‑year funding could preserve impact while improving transparency.

Labor and community witnesses told the committee that unplanned refinery closures create extended unemployment, unsafe understaffing during pre‑closure periods, and large local revenue losses; they recommended expanding displaced worker funds, tax‑stabilization mechanisms, safe‑staffing rules, and local planning supports.

A Cervia Neurosciences co‑founder told the Assembly committee that California lacks mid‑stage non‑dilutive funding for medtech, which risks losing innovations; she proposed a targeted state translational fund (low‑tens of millions) to de‑risk companies and attract private capital.

Researchers, Water Boards and environmental attorneys told the committee that refinery operators often do not disclose asset‑retirement obligations and that the state should adopt standardized cost estimates and financial assurance to prevent liabilities shifting to communities.

Industry witnesses told an Assembly select committee that medical technology differs from biopharma, relies on manufacturing clusters and mid‑skill workers, and needs state policy attention on workforce training, supply chains and translational funding to keep production and jobs in California.

At the hearing, industry representatives blamed California regulation for refinery departures, while researchers told the committee global market dynamics, declining in‑state crude productivity and consolidation also explain closures; CARB and CEC emphasized multi‑factor causes.

State agencies, researchers, labor and community groups told the Senate Environmental Quality Committee that California must plan proactively for refinery closures to avoid large cleanup bills, protect workers, and preserve fuel reliability; industry blamed state policy for closures and urged action to preserve in‑state refining.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara told the Assembly Insurance Committee the department’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy has produced faster claims payments, five approved SIS filings and other indicators of market stabilization; he said visible consumer relief could appear in 12–24 months, with structural recovery over 3–5 years.

At its Feb. 17 meeting the Fullerton School District reviewed LCAP midyear results showing small declines in I‑Ready ELA and math compared with last year, modest improvements in chronic absenteeism and an on‑track budget; trustees asked staff for school‑level data and details on state literacy funds.

The Fullerton School District board approved a revised immigration enforcement policy aligning with the California Attorney General's model; trustees debated added language about not impeding officers and whether documenting/recording might expose staff to liability before approving a simplified DOJ‑style phrasing.

After hours of public testimony focused on student protests and fears of immigration enforcement near campuses, the Riverside Unified School District board adopted revised policy BP 14‑45 aligning district rules with state law while clarifying staff conduct during enforcement activity.

Community members urged the Cotati Police Advisory Committee to recommend a noncompliance ordinance limiting local cooperation with ICE and restricting use of city resources; the committee agreed to table the topic and agendize it for the next meeting to allow research and recommended options.

The commission unanimously recommended the Board of Supervisors adopt countywide ordinance changes and certified a program‑level EIR that establishes a four‑tier permitting system for solar and co‑located battery storage. Commissioners and members of the public pressed staff on battery safety, fire risk and flood/mudslide exposure; staff said project‑level review and building/fire permits remain the primary safety checks.

The California State Senate Rules Committee voted to move Andy Nakahata’s nomination for executive director of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to the full Senate for confirmation, and approved multiple governor appointments and procedural items, including a temporary suspension of SR 22.5.

Agency, utility and developer witnesses told the Assembly committee that long interconnection queue times, network upgrade timelines and lack of standardized equipment/contracting processes are the main operational causes threatening projects’ ability to meet tax‑credit deadlines; utilities signaled conditional openness to developer 'self‑build' work.