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California lawmakers return to work on Wednesday for the start of an election-year legislative session dominated by decisions on artificial intelligence and the state’s struggling budget.

The budget is a big issue every year in California, which is the nation’s most populous state and has an economy larger than that of all but four countries. But this year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will have to figure out how to cover an estimated $68 billion deficit — a shortfall that is larger than the entire operating budgets of many states.

The California Capitol will likely see a flurry of attempts to regulate artificial intelligence next year, with two Bay Area lawmakers emerging as leaders on the issue.

California’s Privacy Protection Agency has released draft rules that would govern how companies using automated decision-making tools — including those powered by artificial intelligence — can use consumers’ personal information.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan wants the Golden State to take the lead on regulating artificial intelligence before it’s too late.

President Joe Biden this week signed an executive order marking the most ambitious national effort yet to guide a rapidly-evolving technology. The sweeping measure was praised by both industry and consumer advocates as an important first step, but without more forceful action from Congress, its impacts are likely to be limited.

SACRAMENTO - A new law recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will bring big changes to how campsites are reserved across the state.

COVID restrictions led to a surge in demand and a marketplace that benefits illegal third-party vendors.

Artificial intelligence has taken off at a breakneck sprint, and California lawmakers are hustling to make sure they don’t get lapped.

From the state that brought you standard-setting laws in digital privacy and social media, now comes efforts to place limits on AI before it’s too late. After a few faltering attempts to regulate the new frontier this year, lawmakers in Sacramento are again preparing to take aim at what may become a powerful global force.

The San Ramon fire district and police department announced the start of a new behavioral health response program that has been in the works since 2021 and will see firefighters with the district -- rather than law enforcement -- respond to most mental health calls in the same timeframe as other medical emergencies in San Ramon.

A new California law will impose stiffer penalties on those who fail to show up to a reserved campground at one of the state’s hundreds of public parks and beaches. The bill’s author says the change will create a more equitable system for campground reservations as more residents plan trips outdoors. 

Booking California’s high-demand campsites online will hopefully become a bit easier under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Monday morning.

The bill, AB618, aims to deter late cancellations and no-shows at campgrounds in state parks and beaches, issues that have inconvenienced prospective campers since the state adopted ReserveCalifornia as its go-to booking portal in 2017 and grown into a headache since pandemic lockdowns spiked interest in outdoor recreation. 

The state of California gave the future Mitchell Canyon Education Center on Mount Diablo a check for $1 million to boost its construction efforts, the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association said Wednesday.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) presented the check at the site on Sept. 20.