California’s hunt for political relevance

California’s gene therapy effort is nation’s first

The science of gene therapy and health care, a concept illustration. (Image: Kentoh, via Shutterstock)

by DAVID JENSEN posted 11.15.2018

California today became the first state in the nation to launch itself into the sizzling field of gene therapy, backed by tens of millions of dollars and with the hope of creating treatments that could permanently cure afflictions ranging from hemophilia to cancer.

Thurmond leading Tuck in close race for state schools chief

Information in many languages outside a California voting place. (Photo: Underawesternsky, via Shutterstock)

by LOUIS FREEDBERG posted 11.14.2018

As California counties continue to process mail-in and provisional ballots, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond, has taken a substantial lead over Marshall Tuck in the race for California’s state superintendent of public instruction.

Next up, Proposition 13?

Gov, Jerry Brown, left, and Howard Jarvis, the architect of Proposition 13, at their first joint news conference in July 1978. Voters approved the initiative the month before. (Photo: Associated Press)

by LISA RENNER posted 11.12.2018

Once thought of as a sacred cow, Proposition 13, the tax revolt measure passed in 1978, is now under attack. Schools and Communities First, a coalition of nearly 300 groups and leaders, has qualified to put an initiative on the Nov. 2020 ballot that would lift caps on property taxes for commercial and industrial properties.

Closer to health coverage for all Californians

Doctors and their patient in a California hospital. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)

by CHARLES BACCHI posted 11.13.2018

OPINION: While Washington’s changes to the Affordable Care Act and calls for a radical upheaval of our health care system may have you confused about the state of health care in California, make no mistake — our state’s system is strong and getting stronger.

Polling: Surprises lurk in those House seats

A view of the House of Representatives, with members and their visiting families. (Photo: Mark Reinstein)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 11.06.2018

A number of California’s Republican-held House seats face fierce challenges from Democrats, and the tally of votes in these tight races may not be completed for days, even weeks, following the election. That’s the message in Capitol Weekly’s survey of more than 20,000 mail-in voters across California who cast their ballots prior to election day.

Early balloting for state candidates, props

Voters at a political rally in Santa Monica during the 2016 election campaign. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 11.05.2018

A Capitol Weekly survey of California’s early vote-by-mail balloting shows Democrats Gavin Newsom and Dianne Feinstein ahead by double-digit margins in their races for governor and U.S. Senate, respectively. Regarding three of California’s most controversial ballot propositions, the most closely divided was Proposition 6, which would repeal the state’s newly imposed fuel tax: 42 percent opposed the repeal, 38 percent favored it.

Gavin Newsom: Complex and connected

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, candidate for governor, addresses a group earlier this year after being endorsed by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. (Photo: Associated Press)

by CHUCK MCFADDEN posted 11.02.2018

Gavin Christopher Newsom is tall and handsome, with a beautiful wife and four adorable children. He’d like to be California’s next governor, and, if the polls are correct, he’ll get his wish. But the golden-boy image attached to the lieutenant governor isn’t the whole picture. Newsom’s life has had its dark times.

John Cox: A tough slog toward the governorship

Republican candidate for governor John Cox talks to reporters before launching a statewide bus tour in Sacramento. (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

by CHUCK MCFADDEN posted 11.01.2018

Republican John Cox, running for governor, wants you to realize a few things. California has the highest poverty rate in the nation. Our schools are failing. Millions of forgotten Californians cannot afford decent housing. Millions more must choose between buying a half-tank of gas or groceries for their families. And all of this happened on Gavin Newsom’s watch.