Rep. Mike Thompson. Photo by APIn a campaign no national pundit focused on, Congressman Mike Thompson is in danger of losing his Napa Valley seat to big-spending fellow Democrat Eric Jones, who until recently was a San Francisco venture capitalist. Improbably, the battle for California’s Congressional District 4 became one of the most costly House races in the nation.
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Photo by Murika via iStock. Beginning in 2018, 17 states — including solidly red Missouri and Oklahoma — have banned the practice of adults to marry an underage person. Yet it wasn’t until the last day of September this year that California, a proud bastion of progressive politics that’s often touted as a national laboratory for forward thinking public policy, became the 18th state to outlaw child marriage.
Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón (L) and Dolores Huerta in the state capitol, January 5, 2026. Photo provided by Sen. Limón's office.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This week we welcome Senator Monique Limón (D- Santa Barbara), the Senate President pro Tempore. Limón is the first Latina, the first woman of color and the first mother to hold the position. She spoke with us about her tenure so far as leader of the legislature’s upper body, what she expects from the coming year, and about her friend and mentor, the late Dolores Huerta, who passed the day we recorded this interview.
Image by Kenishirotie via iStock. The success of a 2023 bill that mandated yearly literacy testing for California students in kindergarten through 2nd grades has directly inspired the creation and passage of a new bill that would do the same for early math assessment.
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Image by Andrzej Rostek, iStock Images.We need equity before passing Senate Bill 5600, the Dennis John Benigno Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act.
Image by Torsten-Asmus, iStock ImagesA gubernatorial transition is one of the most consequential and compressed periods in state government.
San Quentin Giants baseball. Photo by AP.A new California law aims to codify organized sports in state prisons as a way to reduce prison violence and recidivism.
Image by tylim, iStock Images.I have seen firsthand the challenges that come with maintaining affordable and dependable municipal services for residents.