Image by EvgeniyShkolenko. The Senate Appropriations Committee will determine on Friday if a bill to exclude sex offenders from a parole program for older offenders will move forward this year. For both offenders and survivors, the Committee’s decision will be life changing.
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L-R: Levi Sumagaysay of Calmatters, Meredith Fowlie of UC Berkeley, Amy Bach of United Policyholders and Rex Frazier of the Personal Insurance Federation of California. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at California Insurance Crisis, which was held in Sacramento on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. This is Panel 1: The State of the Insurance Industry, featuring Amy Bach of United Policyholders; Rex Frazier, Personal Insurance Federation of California; Meredith Fowlie, UC Berkeley. The panel was moderated by Levi Sumagaysay of Calmatters.
Car enthusiast Gary Ellison. Image by Ellie ApplebyIs the latest legislative effort to exempt classic cars from California’s emissions laws about to run out of gas? The answer to that question could come as early as Friday when the Senate Committee on Appropriations weighs in on SB 712, also known as “Leno’s Law” for its support from former Tonight Show host and noted car enthusiast Jay Leno.
Chad Bianco. Image from Bianco for Governor. In the third installment of our ongoing look at candidates to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom when he terms out next year, we look at Republican candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Image by Drazen Zigic. OPINION – AB 84 would centralize oversight of charter schools into a massive new state agency—pulling decision-making away from local communities, draining resources from classrooms, and punishing schools that serve students differently.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol Weekly. On Wednesday, May 14, Capitol Weekly hosted “California’s Insurance Crisis,” its first in-person gathering of the year and second conference of 2025. Held at the University of California Student and Policy Center, the event featured three panels and a keynote address from the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Discussions ranged from the overall state of the insurance industry to the impact of the Los Angeles wildfires and the path forward.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara at California Insurance Crisis, May 14, 2025. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: In this Special Episode, we present the Keynote address from yesterday’s California Insurance Crisis, by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Commissioner Lara delivered a fierce defense of his administration’s efforts to stabilize the state’s struggling property insurance market, outlining new proposals and initiatives, including formation of a Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force. He blasted special interests, and his predecessors in the office – both Republican and Democratic – describing them as placeholders who refused to address systematic problems in the state’s insurance market.
Image by kodda. OPINION – California desperately needs the resources to protect residents from the inevitable reality of the climate crisis. Thankfully, legislation currently moving through the California legislature could be a lifeline for our budget and get us back on the right track.
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyHistorically, women have often been understudied and undertreated in health science, and menopause is no exception. Studies show that women feel like they do not receive the proper menopausal care due to a knowledge gap among their healthcare professionals. Driven by personal experience, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) introduced AB 432 this session, her second effort to address the gaps in care as the buzz around menopause gains national attention.