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State of California — This highly sophisticated portal offers a wide array of resources for residents and travelers alike. Among other features, the site acts as a guide to:
- Living in California: vehicle registration, elections and voting, taxes, traffic tickets, unclaimed property, child support, complaints, the lottery, education, health;
- Working in California: doing business, taxes, unemployment, finding a job, occupational licenses;
- Visiting California: park reservations, fishing and hunting, weather, facts and data, maps, and the “California Store;”
- Government Links: including the legislature, California courts, state agencies, a state telephone directory, and the governor’s office;
- Popular Links: A changing list of the most popular links on the portal.
Or if you enjoy surfing for trivia, the facts section of the portal links to official data, such as California’s rank in the global economy.
| California State Agencies Directory — lists every state agency from Alcoholic Beverage Controls to the Workforce Investment Board.
| California Commission on Aging — advocates on behalf of older Californians, advising the Governor, Legislature, and relevant agencies on bills, regulations, issues, and services for seniors. The Commission’s goal is to ensure an excellent quality of life for the aging, with independence for as long as possible.
| California’s Attorney General — represents the state and its citizens in legal matters. The AG’s website provides great information for consumers, including:
- How to get a free credit report
- Registering your phone number on the “Do Not Call” list
- Scam alerts, including e-mail cons and fake websites
- Consumer information and complaints from A-Z
- Refunds and grants
- Crime statistics
- California’s most wanted suspects
- Megan’s Law—searchable database of convicted sex offenders
- Access to the California Dept. of Justice public records
| The State Bar of California — licenses attorneys in the state and investigates ethical violations by lawyers. It sponsors an attorney complaint hotline, 1-800-843-9053.
| California Department of Consumer Affairs — handles consumer complaints against regulated California businesses, such as car and appliance repair services, funeral services, furniture sales, and installment contracts. The website walks consumers step-by-step through the complaint process. Other resources on the site include:
- Information on product recalls
- Making your home energy efficient
- Senior consumer tips, including a “Scambuster Kit”
- Avoiding identity theft
| California Courts — Find a Court website displays locations, phone numbers, and links to all of the state’s Superior Courts and Courts of Appeal, as well as the state’s highest court, the Supreme Court.
| California Courts--Self-Help Center — links consumers to a wealth of resources, including free legal help, small claims, and help with family issues. The website is available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Among the most useful topics:
- Landlord-tenant disputes
- Debt problems
- Employment discrimination
- Wills, probate, trusts, and estates
- Protection from domestic violence
- Traffic tickets
| California Department of Education — explains state standards your child must meet to graduate from public high school, with details on the STAR testing system and the California High School Exit Exam. The user-friendly website offers resources such as:
- School directory
- Testing dates calendar
- Funding and grants
- Curriculum and instruction, including standards for K-12
- FAQs
| California Commission on Student Aid — is a portal for college-bound students and their families, concerned about the ever-higher cost of education. The site is easy to use, with links to forms and guidance on:
- Getting started
- Grants
- Detecting scholarship scams
- Budgets
- FAQs
| Cal State Universities — makes up the “second tier” of the California public university system. Many of the schools not only offer an excellent education, but have earned acclaim in particular fields, including the film department at San Francisco State, the engineering department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the computer programs at San Jose State. High school students with a B average are easily accepted, and may be able to transfer to the U.C. system after two years. The website offers step-by-step guidance to admissions and financial aid.
| University of California — oversees public universities that rival the Ivy League in quality and variety of programs. Whether it’s the natural resources college at Berkeley (Cal), the film department at UCLA, or the marine biology program at Santa Cruz, U.C. students enjoy access to world-class professors and a wide range of classroom and extracurricular activities. Admission is competitive. Among other features, the “system wide” website contains:
- Links to each campus website
- Admissions, including online applications
- Descriptions of academic programs
- Faculty and staff listings
- Financial aid forms and information for each campus
| California Department of Fair Employment and Housing — protects Californians against unlawful discrimination in employment, in housing and public accommodations, and from acts of hate violence.
| California Department of Fish & Game — produces a website that reflects the beauty and richness of California’s wildlife. Besides offering an easy way to get licenses to hunt or fish in the state, the site reflects the Department’s function as an environmental steward, with information on:
- Sensitive and endangered species
- Game management
- Fish hatcheries
- Rare plants
- Hunting and fishing regulations
| California Department of Health & Human Services — administers state and federal programs for health care, social services, public assistance, and rehabilitation. The agencies serves millions of Californians via twelve departments, including the departments of Aging, Alcohol and Drug Programs, Health Care, Mental Health, and Social Services. Among other links, you can find the latest information on health care reform through this site.
| California Labor & Workforce Development Agency — promotes and protects the state’s workforce, which helps create the eighth-largest economy in the world. The agency website links to the all labor-related departments, including:
- Agricultural workers
- Unemployment
- Employment development, including job readiness
- Training
- Industrial relations
| CALJOBS — matches employers with employees over the Internet. After registration, job seekers can post their resume for employers to view. The site also links to forms for paid family leave, disability claims, and unemployment insurance.
| Division of Occupational Safety and Health — protects workers and the public from hazards through Cal/OSHA (workplace safety), as well as its elevator, amusement ride, ski lift, and other safety programs. DOSH experts will also consult with employers to help prevent accidents.
| California State Legislative Portal — connects constituents, voters, and other website visitors to the state Assembly and Senate. The site links to:
- Current bills on the floor
- Committee hearings
- Calendars and scheduled events
- Rules and ethics
- Laws and the California Constitution
- Glossary of legislative terms
| The Medical Board of California — investigates complaints against doctors, and disciplines those who violate the law. It sponsors a complaint hotline, 1-800-633-2322.
| California Department of Motor Vehicles — lets motorists drive on the information highway to:
- Renew vehicle registration
- Renew a driver’s license
- Change an address
- Buy a vanity plate
- Get forms for selling your car
- Make an appointment at your local DMV office
| Drunk Driving Law Guide — authorized by the DMV, arms drivers with information about how to avoid or deal with a DUI charge. In California, blood alcohol levels may not exceed .08 percent while driving.
| California Department of Social Services — serves and protects needy and vulnerable adults, as well as children. The agency aims to strengthen families by emphasizing personal responsibility and independence. The website acts as a portal to a variety of services, including:
- Food stamps
- Welfare to work
- Safe surrender of newborns
- Child care licensing
- Foster youth programs
- Services for the blind and deaf
- Disaster aid
| California State Parks — encourages visitors to “experience the beauty of nature, sleep under the stars, see seal pups, shoot the curls, reel in a winning catch, enjoy a picnic, learn something new, and discover California’s state parks for yourself.” The website lists every state park, including Ańo Nuevo on the Central Coast, where you can observe the breeding colony of the elephant seal; Woodland Opera House near Sacramento, where you can imagine singers entertaining gold miners; Tolowa Dunes in the far north, where you can walk on ancient sand dunes, and Saddleback Butte, where you can admire desert wildflowers blooming in the springtime. Individual links describe each park, with directions, hours, current weather, phone numbers, advice on what to wear, and more.
| California Tax Service Center — helps individual and business taxpayers. The website is easy to navigate, with links to:
- Filing federal and state income taxes
- Downloadable forms
- Filing payroll taxes
- Sales tax requirements
- Small business assistance, including starting and running your business
| Travel & Tourism Division — offers a pleasant way to tour the Golden State before stepping on the plane. The media-rich site offers a digital visitor’s guide, a daily list of events happening in California, suggested travel itineraries, and destination descriptions from the North Coast down to San Diego.
| California Department of Veterans Affairs — helps veterans and their families make claims for veteran’s (federal) benefits and receive low-cost loans for buying farms or homes. The Department also administers the Veterans Homes program, which provides aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care. The comprehensive website includes information about:
- Veterans services
- Women veterans programs
- Home loans
- Business enterprises
- FAQs
| California Commission on the Status of Women — promotes equality and justice for women by advocating on their behalf with the Governor, the Legislature, and other public policymakers, and by educating the public about equal jobs and education, access to health care and reproductive choice, preventing violence against women, and other key issues.
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