Bay Area Market

Insurance companies are starting to write new policies in California again after years of holding back as wildfire risk climbed higher. The state Insurance Department says that means outgoing Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s new regulations, intended to boost insurance availability, are working. Each time a company declares its plans to sell policies again, the department touts…

A state audit found Highlands charter school in Sacramento allegedly misspent $180 million.

The Trump administration is finding ways to sell, lease or give away millions of acres of protected public lands and national parkland to developers.

Tanner Blackman’s job is to push housing projects through Los Angeles’ famously Byzantine permitting process. With a torrent of state laws aimed at streamlining and speeding up approvals to combat the housing shortage, will the humble permit expediter profession survive?

If you want to build a housing project somewhere in California like Los Angeles, you’ll have to wade through an ocean of red tape to secure the right permits. The process isn’t for the faint of heart — some projects, for example, require special permits to have dirt taken away. So for those who don’t…

Most visitors experience Sevierville at 45 miles per hour, on the way to Dollywood or the park. That’s a mistake. Sevier County carries 407 million-dollar listings, an 18.8% luxury share against 12.7% nationally, and a decade of price growth nearly triple the national rate. Inside the Smokies’ quiet luxury market.

Gavin Newsom’s rejection of key pension, work-from-home and environmental bills won him points with the political right but angered some unions and advocacy groups.

A California election official said ballots looked, smelled and felt funny after he lost in this MAGA stronghold. Then the FBI visited Shasta County.

Gov. Gavin Newsom considers paying homes to switch from gas appliances to heat pumps and induction stoves — instead of funding gas line repairs.

The Northern California County that often seems to be at the center of election drama is bracing for another potentially bumpy one. As CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow explains, Shasta County residents in June ousted Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis. But the longtime conspiracy theorist and election denier still has the remainder of his term to oversee…