The flags fly in front of Sacramento's Capital Building, image by ChrisBoswellThe new edition of Capitol Quick Hits: a look at a little-known but potentially hugely impactful change in how our regulates corporations and antitrust law, the real oomph of a California Senate seat and some pushback on state workers returning to the office.
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The Capitol's Top power couple: Ann Patterson and Nathan Barankin. In just a few months, Capitol Weekly will unveil its 16th annual Top 100 list recognizing the most influential members of the Capitol community. As we began researching this year’s list, however, we realized that in all our years of the Top 100 we’ve overlooked a critical dynamic of Capitol clout: the Capitol power couple whose combined prominence and rolodex is greater than the sum of their parts. To rectify that, today we publish our first ever Capitol Weekly Top 10 Power Couples, along with three up-and-coming pairs to keep your eyes on.
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: The Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act is on the November 2024 ballot – or not. The Newsom administration, the Legislature and others have challenged the legality of the measure, arguing that the sweeping changes it outlines would amount to a revision of the constitution, not a simple amendment. The California Supreme Court heard arguments in the case last week, and now local officials are left to wait and see if the measure that they are calling “an existential threat” will be removed from the ballot or face voters in November. Local politics expert Robb Korinke joins us to discuss.
Image by LanaStockOPINION – When teachers and lawmakers team up to prioritize California students, the outcomes benefit everyone. That’s why we are working together to ensure that every student has the computer science skills they need to succeed in today’s job market and in life.
Real estate growth chart. Image by Mohammed Haneefa NizamudeenOPINION – It sounds crazy: The $12,000-a-month apartment. How can an average American afford to pay $12,000 per month for an apartment? But it’s really not as far-fetched as you may think.
Image by dwporterCalifornia lobbyists could see one of their annual fees rise as much as 900 percent if an under-the-radar bill by Sen. Steve Glazer survives Suspense Day.
Lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Two connected puzzle pieces with the words politics and money, representing the influence of wealth in elections.Special interests, otherwise known as “lobbyist employers,” paid lobbying firms a little more than $76 million to lobby California state government in the first quarter of 2024, according to a Capitol Weekly analysis of lobbying firm reports.
Flag of California in a mixed stack of coins. Image by eyegelbEagle-eyed readers of Capitol Weekly’s recent report on quarterly lobbying payments might have spotted an unfamiliar firm name among the top recipients for the first quarter of 2024: the Deveau Burr Group. Especially close readers also might have noticed that Strategies 360, a perennial top firm in Sacramento, was conspicuously absent from the list of top payees for the quarter.