A marijuana drive-thru proposal is making the rounds in the California Legislature

In some parts of the US, you can buy a surprising amount of things other than food from a storefront: guns in Texas, weddings in Nevada, and margaritas in Florida, to name a few.

And if a bill becomes law, marijuana could be on the menu for driving in California.

The state Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development earlier this week passed a proposal that would allow licensed retailers to selling cannabis through car windows. Currently, cannabis retailers can provide street pickup services. But by also allowing movement, the legal market could gain a competitive advantage over the illegal cannabis market, said Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz and the bill’s author.

Supporters of the bill say the measure would also improve access for people who have mobility issues.

• Annie Aubreyowner of Chuck’s Wellness Center in Placerville, during Monday’s hearing: “A significant portion of our clients rely on cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and people living with chronic illnesses that affect mobility — the very population this regulated system is designed to serve.”

The California Drug Enforcement Administration opposes the bill, arguing that it “prioritises speed of sale over public safety.” Ryan Sherman, a lobbyist for the association, said the drive-thru makes it harder for retailers to verify a customer’s identification — increasing the chances of illegal sales. It’s also harder for salespeople to see if customers are high or drunk behind the wheel.

The bill passed the 11-member committee with a mix of Democrats and Republicans voting for and against it, according to CalMatters Digital democracy. In opposition, GOP Sen. Roger Niello of Roseville tied his criticism of the bill to the broader effects of legal cannabis in general, such as easier access for young people and the health risks associated with cannabis use disorders.

• Niello: “We’re even seeing our current president advocating for (legalization) by downplaying the federal classification of marijuana. We’ve seen significant negative consequences from this legalization both here and in other states. And I think it’s time to take a serious look at that.”

A proposal backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to potentially direct billions of dollars in free pollution permits to oil companies is drawing the ire of California Senate Democrats — and they are cook up their own plan to stop him.

As CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo and Yue Stella Yu explain, state regulators are considering giving big companies up to $4 billion in new free carbon permits — with half of those permits reserved for the fossil fuel industry. Under the proposal, revenue for state programs that come from carbon market auctions — such as those earmarked for public transportation, safe drinking water and affordable housing — could drop from about $4 billion a year to $2 billion, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Both Newsom and lawmakers last year agreed to fund transit, water and housing projects and kept $1 billion available to the Legislature — so critics of the permit plan see it as Newsom’s reneging on that deal. Democratic senators are moving through the state budget process to block it: They are proposing to protect lawmakers’ control of $1 billion, then direct a full $2 billion to transit, water and housing programs. Newsom’s favorite projects — like high-speed rail — will also be deprioritized in the budget.

The governor and Legislature have until June 30 to reach a budget agreement, but climate funding could not be finalized until September because that funding did not meet the deadline.

Read more.

From CalMatters economics reporter Levi Sumagasai:

Shares of SpaceX will begin trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange today in the largest initial public offering ever. At $135 a share that Elon Musk’s company set outSpaceX needs to raise about $75 billion and be valued at nearly $1.8 trillion.

The company makes rockets, Starlink satellites and also dabbles in artificial intelligence after buying Musk’s xAI earlier this year. SpaceX, which was founded in California in 2002 but moved its headquarters to Texas in 2024, continues to design and manufacture its rockets in Hawthorne, in Los Angeles County.

Like others before it, this IPO will raise tax revenue in California, but it’s “more unpredictable” to say when and by how much, said Brian Uhler, an analyst with the Legislative Analyst’s Office. SpaceX employees have already paid income taxes on one type of stock because they vested on a schedule rather than on the day of the IPO. What else comes the state’s way depends on what employees and investors decide to do with their stock option windfalls afterward.

Accusing the agency of fraud, the Trump administration said Thursday it would bar the Los Angeles Office of Homeless Services — Los Angeles’ main homeless agency — from accessing federal funds. At risk is nearly $200 million that providers rely on to help California’s largest homeless population. Read more by Marissa Kendall of CalMatters.