Golden State Today

Student performance in California is showing improvement, attributed to substantial investments aimed at fostering safe learning environments and enhancing academic outcomes. A notable decrease in chronic absenteeism by 16.7% year-over-year has been reported, along with a continued rise in graduation rates, marking the largest cohort of students graduating from K–12 schools since 2017.

In another development, California Volunteers, the nation's largest statewide service program, organized a Sacramento Community Climate Action Day. Over 300 volunteers participated in planting more than 200 trees and enhancing green spaces along the Northern Parkway, demonstrating effective community climate action.

Governor Newsom announced significant progress made by California's Alzheimer's Disease Prevention and Preparedness Task Force during Alzheimer's Awareness Month. The state has implemented all ten key recommendations from 2020 to combat Alzheimer's disease. These efforts have set a national benchmark focusing on care for women and diverse racial and ethnic communities most at risk.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development celebrated the opening of new permanent supportive housing in Marin for veterans as part of the Homeward Bound of Marin Workforce & Veteran Housing project. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts supported by Proposition 1 to assist those needing housing.

In partnership with CAL FIRE and the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Natural Resources Agency has awarded $107.7 million to support projects returning nearly 39,000 acres of land to Native American Tribes.

CalTrans continued its Clean CA campaign by removing litter from an abandoned encampment along I-405 in Van Nuys, as well as other locations including Mission Hills and near Stockton.

In other news, Dickies is relocating its headquarters to California after being an iconic Fort Worth brand for a century. Meanwhile, law enforcement seized over 1,541 pounds of illicit fentanyl with assistance from the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force in October. Additionally, record numbers of Chinook salmon have been counted on the Mokelumne River during this year's fall run.

California is set to receive $100 million in funding through the CHIPS & Science Act to bolster leadership in substrate technology crucial for industries like AI.