California lawmakers return for the first legislative session of 2020. They are expected to focus on power shutoffs, AB5 cleanup, and housing and homelessness.

Story by Scott Rodd.

(Photo: Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio)

If you're caught smoking at a state park or beach in the new year you could be fined $25, but that fine grows to around $200 with court fees. It's part of a new law only allowing vaping and smoking on paved surfaces at state parks.

Story by Ezra David Romero.

(Photo: Barry Smith, the chief ranger for the Gold Fields District of California State Parks, says it could take up to a year to get all the smoking ban signs created and established in all the state’s parks - Ezra David Romero / Capital Public Radio)

As California seeks to crack down on worker misclassification, predatory lending and consumer data privacy, some companies are fighting back — by flat-out refusing to comply with new laws that they say don’t apply to them.

Story by Ben Adler.

(Photo: Dozens of supporters of a measure to limit when companies can label workers as independent contractors circle the Capitol during a rally in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 - Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo / via CapRadio)