William Melhado

With strong market gains of recent years, CalPERS now is 84% funded -- way up from prior years. Passage of modified, lower pension benefits for new workers in 2012 also has helped improve the stability of my pension system.

About 60% of The Sacramento Bee’s reporters and photojournalists are white. But if you look at the pool of local reporters whose wages are so low they qualify for low-income housing, the ratio is flipped: 63% are people of color. Management offered a deal that would leave most of them low-income.

ICYMI: The Sac Bee Guild is urging McClatchy to raise salaries and give our lowest paid reporters fair pay.

Currently, eight of our local news reporters (who are predominantly BIPOC + women) are underpaid so much that they qualify for low income housing. We deserve better.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Please stand with us and share this far and wide. It’s so important. ✊

McClatchy wants you to invest in a Sacramento Bee subscription, but the company doesn’t want to invest in its reporters.

Under management’s latest offer, seven local journalists would still make salaries low enough to qualify them for low-income housing.

CA departments lacked thousands of workstations before RTO order, documents show A review of surveys from 16 state departments shows that over 70 offices were not prepared to accommodate returning workers in advance of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first return-to-office deadline.

California departments weren't ready to welcome state workers back offices last July, records show. It's not clear if agencies will be ready this summer.

www.sacbee.com/news/politic...

it's god's intent that we love AI-soaked browsers

NEW: President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bring federal agents, or even soldiers, to San Francisco to battle crime. His administration has actually done the opposite, quietly taking federal law enforcement away from the city to do immigration work instead.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Parks Service Union Movement Spreads to Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree Employees in dozens of park units are organizing to fight attempts by the Trump administration to downsize the agency.

Scoop: Park Service staff at 24 parks and offices are petitioning to unionize. Federal employees at a dozen including Grand Canyon filed for an election today, following staff at a dozen others including Joshua Tree who recently did same www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A Disabled Child’s Mom Reported Him Missing. He Was Locked Away by Federal Immigration Authorities for 48 Days. Emmanuel, a 15-year-old who has an intellectual disability, walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. Houston Police called ICE.

Emmanuel, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, wandered away from his mom’s fruit stand in October.

She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.

“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...

Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested by FBI public corruption probe Dana Williamson served as Gavin Newsom’s top aide until December 2024.

Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested by FBI public corruption probe
Scoop from Lia Russell, Sharon Bernstein
www.sacbee.com/news/politic...

Family of man who died after being found in Sacramento jail cell files lawsuit Jarred Barabino, 32, died in August after he was found unresponsive in the Sacramento Main Jail.

New: The family of a man who died after he was found unresponsive in the jail has filed a lawsuit.
He died in August of a drug-related cause. The Sheriff's Office did not announce it to the public.
With @emmahall.bsky.social
www.sacbee.com/news/local/a...

there's so many gold nuggets in here

‘Worse than doing nothing’: Online safety advocates slam changes to AI chatbot bill “This was a very disappointing but quite obvious capitulation to highly paid big tech lobbyists,” said one former supporter.

‘Worse than doing nothing’: Online safety advocates slam changes to AI chatbot bill, @katewolffe.bsky.social reports
www.sacbee.com/news/politic...

My story about the ride-hailing drivers unionization bill that CA lawmakers have sent to the governor for his signature: calmatters.org/economy/2025...

A campaign finance report showing a $10,000,000 contribution from Charles Munger, Jr. to the No on Prop 50 campaign committee

Looks like Charles Munger Jr. is in for another $10 million, bringing his total contributions to California's Prop 50 opposition $30 million. So it's basically him and $5 million from a Republican SuperPAC

cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfge...

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher Holds Press Conference on “Two State Solution” AJR 23 Would Create a New State for Inland California, Representing Over 10 Million People

We're doing the secession thing again

Several people taken away by masked federal agents at Sacramento Home Depot The incident Thursday morning in the store’s parking lot was the first high-profile enforcement raid in Sacramento County.

The incident Thursday morning in the store’s parking lot was the first high-profile enforcement raid in Sacramento County.

Could California really withhold tax money from the U.S. if Trump cuts federal funds? As Trump administration weighs cutting federal funds to California, Newsom suggests withholding taxes from federal government.

Trump wants to cut off funding for California. Newsom and legislative leaders want to cut off the federal government from our donor state tax dollars. @levisu.bsky.social reports on what's going on and actually possible calmatters.org/economy/2025...

California union leader David Huerta is released from custody on $50K bond California union leader David Huerta has been released from federal custody on a $50,000 bond. Huerta was arrested Friday while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles.

@seiuca.bsky.social president David Huerta has been released from federal custody on a $50K bond. Members of SEIU are rallying nationwide, w/ SEIU CA set to rally later today outside the CA State Capitol to support him: apnews.com/article/immi...

Months after detaining 47 people accused of being Tren de Aragua in Austin, authorities offer no evidence of gang ties People at the raided house say they rented it for a birthday party and deny any connection to the gang. One man says law enforcement accused him of being in Tren de Aragua because of his tattoo.

Months after detaining 47 people accused of being Tren de Aragua in Austin, authorities offer no evidence of gang ties

Life after California's death row: What happens when condemned inmates get a second chance Then-new Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions and ordered death row dismantled. Years later, inmates say they got a bittersweet new lease on life.

Life after California's death row: What happens when condemned inmates get a second chance

Sacramento State cuts courses across all colleges amid budget shortfall The university is grappling with a $31.2 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.

All colleges across Sacramento State must reduce course offerings to accommodate funding cuts and cost increases, according to the university.

www.sacbee.com/news/local/e...

California e-bike voucher drawing returns. What are your chances this time? California residents can once again apply for up to $2,000 in a voucher for an e-bike on April 29.

California e-bike voucher drawing returns. What are your chances this time?

License to Kill The California DMV routinely allows deadly drivers to operate on our roadways, a CalMatters investigation has found.

"Hundreds of drivers’ DMV records simply don’t list convictions for manslaughter or another crime related to a fatal crash...The apparent error means some drivers who should have their driving privileges suspended instead show up ... as having a valid license."

calmatters.org/investigatio...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez, speaks out against President Trump’s proposals to deport millions of illegal immigrants during a rally on Jan. 27, 2017 in Fresno, Calif.

A scene from an alternative timeline...or 8 years ago.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez, speaks out against President Trump’s proposals to deport millions of illegal immigrants during a rally on Jan. 27, 2017 in Fresno, Calif.

YouTube video by California Governor Gavin Newsom Governor Newsom announces major skills-based hiring, education effort

In Gov. Newsom's first public comments on the return-to-office order, he said struggling downtown biz, a lack of mentorship and social media's influence played into his decision to call state workers back to offices.

Listen to his comments (timestamped) here:

youtu.be/LpMC6yHOV_4?...

YouTube video by California Governor Gavin Newsom Governor Newsom announces major skills-based hiring, education effort

In Gov. Newsom's first public comments on the return-to-office order, he said struggling downtown biz, a lack of mentorship and social media's influence played into his decision to call state workers back to offices.

Listen to his comments (timestamped) here:

youtu.be/LpMC6yHOV_4?...

California schools superintendent has a side gig Tony Thurmond has regularly worked side jobs at nonprofits to supplement his $200,000 salary as elected superintendent of public instruction

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly taken side jobs running Bay Area nonprofits during his tenure as California’s elected schools chief, earning tens of thousands of dollars to supplement his income, financial disclosures show.
calmatters.org/politics/202...