An ambitious push to make California the first state to stem the flow of plastic trash by phasing out single-use packaging and foodware failed early Saturday amid dogged industry opposition, as state lawmakers adjourned without acting on two far-reaching recycling bills. 

Half of the rice grown in California goes to the U.S. and Canada; the other half is exported to Japan and 30 other countries, including South Korea, Taiwan and Jordan. Now China, the largest consumer of rice in the world, joins that group.

Pressure is increasing on counties to sign up more people for food stamps since the state’s participation rate is one of the lowest in the nation. But greater enrollment may require more money or more state intervention.

She was the owner and host of Biba, the guiding force behind the menu, and, in those roles, she was everybody’s favorite Italian mamma. Free of gimmicks and trends, Biba was not trying to be edgy or innovative. The kitchen did things the right way — use excellent ingredients and classic technique while paying attention to all the little things from start to finish.

Mediterranean climates, like California’s, typically follow boom and bust cycles, marked by a predictable shift between cold and wet and hot and dry. But the changing climate will amplify that pattern with weather that is, at times, wetter and at other times hotter.

The majority of Californians believe global warming is happening now and that it’s a serious threat to the Golden State’s future, according to the results of a recent poll. What’s more, Californians are ready to cast their votes and spend their money to fight it.

Carol Anderson, owner of the Murieta Equestrian Center, appeared on the cover to illustrate a story headlined “Horsing Around: The equestrian business is big in the Capital Region.”

Brad Squires and Matt Brunner wondered what would happen to the agricultural land that housed Tom Tomich Orchards — the sole remaining commercial fruit operation in Orangevale — when the business shuttered in 2017. Would that really be the end of an era?

California’s climate change enforcers are grappling with the thorniest of controversies: how to prevent the planet’s tropical forests from disappearing. The question they aren’t ready to answer — at least not yet — is what focusing on far-away forests could mean for pollution at home.

Sacramento has struggled with its branding for more than a century. Recently, the farm-to-fork movement has raised awareness of the local food scene, but as the region also tries to highlight its growth in business, tech, art and culture, a new brand is in the pipeline.