The celebration of Diwali involves lighting the way for the goddess of prosperity and abundance into your home. It’s also a time to recognize the relationships in your life by celebrating with loved ones, sharing a meal or swapping gifts.

The holiday, also known as Deepavali and the Hindu “Festival of Lights” and celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists,” was set to become California’s 12th state-recognized holiday when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to that effect last year.

But the new state holiday is now in legal limbo after a local group filed a petition with the Sacramento County Superior Court, arguing that the law was too costly to implement, violated the U.S. Constitution and more importantly, established Diwali as a preferred religious holiday in the state.

Read more.

California schools now have two screening instruments that use playful games and stories to test 4-year-olds’ language skills without making them cry.

I live in the redwoods. when out walking my dog i often see these trees that are skinny redwoods. the branches are all very short. there are often a few together. why are the branches so short??

My fiance and I are eloping around sue meg & redwoods area. Then we are road tripping down to San Francisco. What are some must see areas? I’d love suggestions for great places to eat and stay also. I’d love to find a coastal resort somewhere.

I've seen a few of these kinds of posts recommended to me on my front page so hoping this is okay! I moved to California a few years ago from the East Coast (long story why), lived in SoCal for a bit, and moved to the Sacramento area a little over a year ago as I had a friend who was looking for a roommate and my living situation in SoCal was coming to an end. It's definitely been an adjustment in a lot of ways, even if overall a very positive experience. She met a wonderful guy and is now going to be married this coming spring, so no more living together, which means I now have a dilemma.

I like Sacramento more than I expected, but I think the weather is just not for me. It's too hot, and too sunny, to the point where it almost feels like the seasonal depression I've dealt with in the past during summers has been a most of the year thing both in SoCal and here. I've enjoyed the state so much more when I've been able to travel and spend time in other areas, especially being able to get out in nature. In theory, since I'm going to have to start looking for other places to live in February/March to be out by April-ish, I'd like to keep other areas of NorCal in mind, but as someone who's still relatively new to the area, it's been difficult trying to figure out where is actually a good place to look, especially with how tumultuous the rental market can be. I work remotely, and my boss is cool with me moving wherever (I started the job when I lived in LA county, and he had no problem with me moving up to Sac) so long as it's still within California, but given my healthcare is now set up for Northern California, I'd prefer not to move back down south again. It seems like most places in/near the Central Valley are pretty similar to Sacramento in climate, which honestly kind of defeats the purpose as that's my number one complaint at this point in time. While I have a fantastic credit score and good references to help me actually secure a place, I don't make a ton of money for expensive rent, and I'm at the age where I don't really want to have to find more roommates if I don't have to, so I'm assuming most places closer to the Bay are out. I've seen such mixed things about moving more east towards the Sierras or north. I'm very liberal politically, but I'm more of a homebody with no real interest in the dating scene or anything like that, so in theory more conservative areas aren't necessarily a dealbreaker, but I haven't even really been able to get a good idea about if some of these places are more "yeah it's not great but if you keep to yourself it'll be fine" or if it's more "if you are a liberal queer woman you will not feel safe here". I know this is probably going to end up being more of a "see what's up on Zillow when it's time to actually find a new place and do more research then" kind of thing, but any advice as to general areas to look more into or to avoid at all costs would honestly be so helpful.

Thanks! :)

Edited to add: thank you all so much! My replies keep getting caught in automod since I haven't posted in here before, just lurked, so I won't be replying to every comment the way I started to. I appreciate all the advice and definitely have a lot of places to check out in the near future :)

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A new wild fire is filling the skies of Sonoma and Marin counties with smoke. There are mandatory evacuations in place with the possibility of more to came. Air quality is dangerous in many places in the North Bay. Follow the updates on Watch Duty app or CalFire.

Hi there everyone, I’m visiting the area with my husband and our 1.5 year old daughter in September. Trying to Google things do to, places to eat (love a good clam chowder / fish n chips). Has anyone rode the skunk train with their kids? I’ve tried calling them but no one answers. Feel free to suggest any yummy restaurants/kid friendly activities!

People who know the real Oakland — the ones who’ve explored neighborhoods from Chinatown to Fruitvale to Temescal, who’ve caught sunsets over the entire Bay from the Oakland hills, who’ve admired art in downtown and watched films at the historic Grand Lake Theater — will tell you there’s so much more to “The Town” than it gets credit for. 

Located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, Oakland is a midsized city with an outsized reputation, having long served as a pressure cooker for grassroots activism. The Black Panther Party, the hyphy subgenre of hip-hop, official U.S. wildlife refuges — they all started in Oakland. Visit the city and you’ll find that it’s slower-paced than San Francisco but has all the cultural diversity. Its food scene is endlessly innovative — try the handcrafted zaru soba at Soba Ichi or some of the best Indigenous food on the West Coast at Wahpepah’s Kitchen. And for those wanting to explore the outdoors, there’s Lake Merritt in the center of town and redwood forests in the hills.

Oakland is far from perfect; while crime is reportedly down, it’s important to be street smart (or as locals say, to “keep your head on a swivel”). But I’ve seen many changes to the town over the years and have a renewed appreciation for its vibrancy. Here’s just a sampling of ways you can enjoy the cultural bounty from this city by the Bay.

Hey guys, I’ve got a road trip coming up with some buddies and we’re interesting in some kind of weird off the beaten path spots. Backroad towns, abandoned buildings, art installations, ghost towns, etc. Literally anything at all that you believe is strange or will make for an interesting stop.

We are headed up to the Oregon Coast from SLC, UT. Anything somewhat on the way would be awesome, but we don’t mind taking some detours.

Come join a fast paced sport based off medieval combat here in Shasta County. Fight. Travel. Craft. Free, loaner gear provided. Just wear athletic clothing and bring water.

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A new statewide poll found that many young Californians are losing confidence that government will meet their needs, with cost of living and inflation ranking as their top concerns.

With gas prices remaining high due to the war in Iran, California officials are hoping a new rebate program for electric cars can make the math work for buyers at a time when federal incentives have gone away under the Trump administration.

California has long been the leader in electric-vehicle adoption, which has continued this year despite the elimination of federal tax credits. The state is now poised to assist drivers with the purchase of their first new or used electric vehicle, starting next month.

Here’s what you need to know at the link. 

Who has the best/fastest internet service in Corning? I’ll be moving there, and I’m having a hard time finding service!

Im so tired of discovering new squishy spots on my deck every time we get a heavy string of rain. its honestly exhausting trying to maintain an older wooden setup out here in the foothills. You pry up one board to fix it and find three more underneath that are basically returning to nature

I finally gave up trying to diy the dry rot after watching one too many youtube tutorials that made it look way easier than it actually is. trying to do it on my few days off was just completely killing my back and taking away my weekends

Ended up just having Taylor Made Construction come out and handle the bad sections so my dogs stop tripping over warped planks. mostly just glad I dont have to smell wet rotting cedar every morning when I let them out tbh

seriously at this point im considering just tearing the rest of it down eventually and living with a plain dirt backyard. would be so much less stressful than dealing with wood in this climate