(Subscription required) In a general civil courtroom where cases range from neighborhood disputes to nationally watched litigation, Judge Michael E. Whitaker treats every trial like a flight plan -- preparation first, departure on time. 

(Subscription required) The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay a record $2.75 million to resolve allegations it violated the California Consumer Privacy Act by failing to fully effectuate consumer requests to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their data. The California Attorney General's Office alleged that when consumers opted out of such use of their data on one device, the opt-out didn't carry over to other devices they used—an express violation of the 2018 act. 

Every 30 years since 1900, a new generation of Southern Californians faced a distinct water challenge. The first three generations met that challenge by developing a new imported water source and transporting it to Southern California. The last generation used new tools to use water more efficiently and maximize the value of the existing resources. The challenge for this generation will be dealing with a need to face the impacts of climate change and modernize an aging system while managing in a shrinking economic environment.

Briefs and replies are piling up in the Kern River case pending review by the state Supreme Court. The court agreed to look at an appellate decision that tossed out an 2023 court order to keep water flowing in the river through Bakersfield. There are two central questions in this fray: Can a Fish and Game statute be applied as it’s written under the state constitution? And who has the burden to prove that either way?