The California Weekly
Welcome to The California Weekly, your Saturday morning recap of top stories and announcements you might have missed.
News you might have missed
1. 📚 CALIFORNIA STUDENTS SUCCEEDING
Student outcomes continue to improve after significant investments to ensure healthy and safe learning environments, accelerate academic outcomes, and prepare students for well-paying and meaningful careers. In fact, all student groups show significant increases in consistently attending schools — a 16.7% year-over-year decline in chronic absenteeism and continued statewide growth in student graduation rates, with the largest cohort of students graduating K–12 schools since 2017.
2. 🌲 COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
California Volunteers, the nation’s largest statewide service program — larger than the Peace Corps — brought together 300+ volunteers for a Sacramento Community Climate Action Day. The group planted more than 200 trees along the Northern Parkway & enhanced nearby green spaces — showcasing the impact of community climate action.
3. 🤝 KEEPING PROMISES TO OLDER CALIFORNIANS
During Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Governor Newsom announced that California’s Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness Task Force has made substantial strides in implementing all 10 key recommendations set forth in 2020 to combat this disease. California’s groundbreaking efforts in Alzheimer’s prevention, research, and support have become a national benchmark, with a focus on providing care for women and diverse racial and ethnic communities at the highest risk.
4. 🏘️ MORE HOUSING & TREATMENT FOR THOSE IN NEED
The California Department of Housing and Community Development celebrated with the Marin community as they marked the grand opening of new permanent supportive housing for our nation’s heroes! Sweeney Place in Novato provides affordable homes for veterans and is part of the Homeward Bound of Marin Workforce & Veteran Housing project. This continues the state’s efforts to support people who need assistance with their housing, with more to come thanks to the implementation of Proposition 1. Watch the latest installment of HCD’s video series of what access to permanent supportive housing means for veterans.
Video of the week
This year, in partnership with CAL FIRE & California Ocean Protection Council, the California Natural Resources Agency has awarded $107.7 million to 33 projects and supported the return of nearly 39,000 acres of land to California Native American Tribes!
Photo of the week
CalTrans continued its Clean CA efforts this week, removing litter and other discarded items from an abandoned encampment along I-405 in Van Nuys. Additional efforts at the 118 & 405 interchange in Mission Hills were also successful, as well as along HWY-99 near Stockton.
Here’s what we’re reading
By the numbers
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1,541 — pounds of illicit fentanyl was seized with the support of California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force in October, including over 1.7 million fentanyl pills at an estimated street value of $11.9 million.
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120 — pounds of meth were found in hidden compartments after a California Highway Patrol REACT team stopped vehicles along I-5
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30,000 — fish have been counted as part of the 2024-25 fall run of Chinook salmon on the Mokelumne River, setting a new record with hundreds more arriving daily. This is the largest salmon return since 1940, surpassing the 2023-24 record of 28,698.
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$100 Million — in new funding coming to California thanks to the CHIPS & Science Act, strengthening the state’s and America’s leadership in cutting-edge substrate technology for critical industries like AI.