Big City Mayors coalition. Photo by Robin Swanson. Next week is Spring Break so this week was busier than usual. Here is our Capitol Briefs roundup of a few of the things we found notable around the Capitol.
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Jacqui Nguyen. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly. In the dark of night shortly before the 1975 fall of Saigon, three-year-old Jacqui Nguyen fled Vietnam on a crowded boat with her parents, her six-month-old brother and nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Today, Nguyen works as communications director for Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach). Her path — from refugee to reporter to Capitol staffer — shapes how she does the job and how she understands what’s at stake.
American Endurance, Jones Act tanker. Photo by Philly Shipyard.OPINION – Under the Jones Act, cargo moving between U.S. ports must be carried on American-built, American-flagged, and American-crewed vessels, including crude oil and refined petroleum products. The Trump administration has moved to wave the Jones Act, but California’s regulations, taxes, and other unique factors make any minor savings from this waiver a drop in the bucket.
Image by hapabapa. Understanding what proposed legislation actually does is part science and part art. This week lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli explains it all for you.
Image by LuisM.OPINION – Over just the past six years, California’s state budget has ballooned from roughly $200 billion to almost $350 billion. That’s a 75% increase. Does anything in California feel 75% better to you?
Image by it:Arseniy45. As the California Governor’s race enters the last several months, those millions of dollars that have been raised by candidates are starting to get spent. A new website collects digital ads, broadcast television and radio ad buys: on the digital side, you can watch the ads, see how much was spent to promote them, what geography was served and what age/gender groups were targeted. In the Broadcast TV and Radio sections you don’t see the ads themselves, but you can see all the complete buys, including what stations, dates, amounts spent, and even what TV programs were bought.
Modified photo from The Jon B. Lovelace Collection of California Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America Project, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs DivisionCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: The New York Times’ bombshell report on allegations of sexual abuse of young girls by Cesar Chavez, coupled with UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta’s disturbing story of rape at his hands toppled the legacy of one of the most significant figures in California history. Our guest, POLITICO’s Melanie Mason, joined us to reflect on the Chavez allegations, the impact of We Said Enough, and the difficulties survivors face in coming forward.
Image by JubJob.OPINION – California voters have a right to know whether their next Governor will stand up for a program that has delivered some of the most success in reducing homelessness, despite costing less than half a percent of state spending.
Image by monkeybusinessimages. OPINION – As the Legislature and Governor finalize California’s 2026-27 state budget, we face a consequential decision: whether to sustain one of our most effective tools for strengthening the teacher workforce, or allow it to wither just as it is delivering meaningful results