California's lady justice, image by BreizhAtaoEveryone is talking about Proposition 47 this year. So with that in mind, it’s time for our panel of experts to weigh in. The question: Californians are fed up with crime, and – correctly or not – Proposition 47 is getting much of the blame. Will either lawmakers or voters eventually make substantive changes to this law?
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Delaine Eastin speaking at Capitol Weekly's Conference on Education in 2015. Photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyDelaine Eastin, who was the first woman to serve as California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, died Tuesday. She served as SUPI from 1995 to 2003.
Loupe one hundred dollars banknotes on keyboard. Finding financial earnings on the internet conceptWhile California campaigns and election regulators like the California Fair Political Practices Commission have generally succeeded in providing transparency to the contribution side of the campaign finance ledger, they’ve fallen comparatively short when it comes to expenditures.
Sen. Janet Nguyen, Sen. Josh Newman, Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva. Photo by Senate Republicans. A trio of bills aimed at improving care for animals at shelters cleared the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development on Monday. The trio of bills collectively aim at reducing shelter overcrowding and improving record keeping around animal care while requiring more shelters to publicly report data on a variety of care issues, including the number of animals euthanized.
Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen and SEIU CA Govt. Affairs Director Jess Bartholow. Photo by Tim Foster Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Longtime poverty fighter Jess Bartholow surprised many when she left her longtime gig with the Western Center on Law and Poverty in 2020 to become East Bay Senator Nancy Skinner’s Chief of Staff. The move made sense: Skinner has long been an outspoken advocate for California’s poor, and was a personal inspiration for Bartholow. But with the senator terming out at the end of this year, Bartholow recently opted for a new post: Director of Govt. Relations for SEIU California, one of the most powerful labor unions in the state and across the country.
Open source image of denim jeansLobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Loyal Terry, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyThe newest Capitol Weekly Rising Star, Loyal Terry, Assembly Fellow for Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), takes inspiration from the lived experiences of his late father, his aunts and uncles, and himself. Terry approaches policy from a holistic perspective, having experienced how housing, transportation, health, and more intersect to impact working-class people.
Open cafe or restaurant. Open sign board on glass door in modern cafe coffee shopOPINION – California’s large, iconic companies are most often in the spotlight, but small businesses are what drive our economy. These locally owned employers are the lifeblood of community prosperity, particularly for women and people of color who often see entrepreneurship as a path to financial independence.
Image of Tall orange tile roof tower aerial San Francisco city skyscrapers with Coit Tower, CAOPINION – Thousands of people, including families, youth and seniors, live and work in downtown San Francisco, yet Senator Wiener’s new bill, Senate Bill 1227, proposes to eradicate all protections under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the area.