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The California Legislature is considering a bill that would do just that easier for people to sue companies for alleged anti-competitive practices. But support for it is divided among Democratic lawmakers, who fear the proposal would go too far to hurt businesses.
As CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow explains, the bill would allow people and businesses to sue another company in state court if they feel they’ve been harmed by the company’s attempts to stifle competition. Smaller companies that have 100 employees or fewer and average $10 million or more in gross annual revenue over the previous three years are exempt.
The proposal would expand and strengthen California’s antitrust law, which supporters say is needed as the federal government backs away from antitrust enforcement. More than three-quarters of American industries have undergone consolidation since the late 1990s, according to Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the bill’s author.
- Aguiar-CurryDavis Democrat, at a hearing in June: “When companies get so much power and abuse it, it means higher prices, less choice, fewer opportunities for job creators to start small businesses and depressed wages for working families.”
But business groups say the measure will increase companies’ legal risks and open a new way for predatory law firms to shake up companies. Several moderate Democrats have expressed concern that it could make it harder to do business in California.
- State Senator Tom UmbergSanta Ana Democrat: “We want to make sure we’re not stifling competition by the threat of lawsuits.”
Umberg, along with another Democrat, abstained from voting on the proposal in June when it was considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee. They joined 16 other Democratic Assembly members who did not vote to pass it during an earlier vote in May. The bill is now before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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What’s Next for the SAT at UC?
With a growing number of professors calling for the University of California to reinstate the SAT for undergraduate admissions, the UC system reaffirms its intent to assessed the role of standardized testingwrites Mikhail Zinstein of CalMatters.
Two key UC officials said a new estimate was still on the table and that the original schedule had simply been revised. They contradict news reports from earlier in the week that suggested it would be removed.
Only the Board of Regents can unilaterally reinstate the SAT for admission to undergraduate programs. Critics of the test say it is unfair to low-income students, and in 2020 the regents removed the SAT from the admissions process. But some faculty members want it back, saying it provides “critical baseline” and “general external verification” for incoming students, especially those planning to major in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Supreme Court reviews undercover stings
The California Supreme Court is poised to hear multiple cases challenging convictions involving undercover agents in prisons. Critics of these stings, known as Perkins operations, say this law enforcement tactic is coercive and disproportionately targets blacks and Hispanics.
To learn more about Perkins’ operations, read the full investigation by Cayla Mihalovich of CalMatters. But if you’re in a hurry, we’ve got a history overview the biggest things to take homewhich include:
- How Perkins Operations Work: These stings usually involve agents who are older and physically larger than their targets. In some cases, five are placed in a single-person prison cell. Agents often pose as experienced gang members, and tricks centered around false evidence are used to “stimulate” a conversation between agents and their targets.
- Racial differences that arise: Among the cases the state Supreme Court is hearing, four defendants are Hispanic, four are black and two are white. In an analysis of hundreds of homicide cases between 2015 and 2023, including 145 Perkins targets, black defendants were more than four times more likely to be targeted in a Perkins operation than white defendants.
California voices
No special fundingthe state’s unprecedented efforts to reduce the danger of severe wildfires will not occur at the scale California needs to protect its residents, forests and water supply, Bradley Franklin and Kyle Greenspan writeresearch fellow and fellow at the Water Policy Center PPIC, resp.
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Newsom says the Democrats we need to “wake up” on income inequality // The Sacramento Bee (gift link)
SFPD drone footage leaked reveals the new reality of urban surveillance // WIRED
CA allocates special fundingg to identify homeless students // EdSource
Inside America‘s shoplifting lab. Is there a better way to stop theft? // slate
Trump administration begins crackdown of teacher sexual misconduct after KQED-ProPublica investigation // KQED
Tia Clinics in Los Angeles County promise women higher quality of health care. Patients report missed pregnancies, surprise bills and overcharges // The Los Angeles Public Press
San Diego County hires outside organizations for public services. This should strengthen oversight of these contracts, report finds // The Voice of San Diego
