News
Ask the average Californian what the state Board of Equalization (BOE) does and you’re likely to get a blank look. That may not matter anymore. Much of what the 138-year-old agency does — which includes collecting some $60 billion in taxes — will be taken away from it amid a spate of recent reports about potential corruption and possible criminality.
Opinion
OPINION: In 1965 Congress passed and the president signed into law Medicaid. At that time, they decided on how much a nursing home resident should be able to keep from his or her income toward meeting personal needs. They decided that $30 per month would be a fair allowance. The Personal Needs Allowance has remained the same at $35.00 since the 1980s.
News
Rob Lapsley, the president and CEO of the California Business Roundtable, joins Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to discuss one of the biggest policy issues of the year — the extension of California’s cap-and-trade auction program.
News
The 2020 count by the U.S. Census could have a big impact on California’s political districts. The numbers mean everything.
For example, will California lose a Congressional seat if the count comes in lower than expected? Some political observers say yes. If we lose a seat, will it be at the expense of an African American incumbent? Will California gain a congressional seat, giving the state 54th seat in the House?
If so, where will it be? In the Inland Empire? Let’s find out. Let’s ask Paul Mitchell.
News
Part 3: As California grows, the shifts of population within the state can have a dramatic impact on the drawing of future political boundaries. These shifts can be broken into two different types of population counts: The absolute population counts as defined by the 2020 U.S. Census, and the citizen voting age populations, or CVAP.
Opinion
OPINION: Smart cities will soon take a major leap forward — thanks to a groundbreaking technology, 5G, or the 5th generation wireless network. 5G is anticipated to be 100 times faster than the current 4G network, which many of our devices utilize today, and 5G will dramatically reduce the time it takes to share information.
Analysis
ANALYSIS: California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was established by two ballot measures in 2008 and 2010, following several unsuccessful pushes by Republicans who saw themselves as perpetually sidelined when it came to drawing the state’s political boundaries. Success came when they were joined by a coalition of non-partisan groups and deep-pocket Silicon Valley funders, who saw the commission as a part of overall reforms, like the creation of an open primary.
News
If you don’t give city employees a pension, what happens? San Diegans voted five years ago this month to switch all new city hires, except police, from pensions to 401(k)-style individual investment plans, becoming one of the first big cities to take the plunge.
Human embryonic stem cells. (Photo: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine)
