Image by Alexandru Nia via Shutterstock. Reason exists for some optimism among California’s clinical researchers – a $12 billion ballot initiative actually on the fall ballot. It is Proposition 38, which would provide $8.4 billion for immunology research involving a wide range of afflictions, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Image created by Andrii Yalanskyi, iStock Images. CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: A poll from Median Strategies roiled the Los Angeles mayoral race earlier this month, showing Mayor Karen Bass with an 11 point lead over challenger Nithya Raman. The results were cited by several media outlets, and were touted by the Bass campaign before the poll was exposed as fake. Political data expert Paul Mitchell joined us to talk about how junk polls, paid influencers and strategic gaming of prediction markets can distort perceptions about a campaign.
California Death Row. Photo by the Associated Press. As his time as governor comes to an end, Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a life-or-death decision: whether to commute the sentences of the 547 men and 18 women in state prison who have been condemned to death. There is good reason to believe Newsom will take that step, and there is reason to believe he won’t. Neither he nor his aides are telegraphing his plan.
California State Capitol Building in Sacramento, California. In reviewing legislation during the last month of the 2026 California Legislative Session, I have come across a number of examples of excellent bill drafting and wanted to draw attention to them to serve as guides in the upcoming 2027 Legislative Session.
Image by Mohamad Faizal Bin Ramli.When a specialist prescribes an FDA-approved treatment for the rare disease it was built for, let the patient have it.
Image by Kara Gebhardt.Rural students need more pathways to connect what they learn in school with careers available in their communities and across the state.
Image by Thanakorn Lappattaranan. A bill that would have allowed drivers to opt in to usage-based insurance was held under submission by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this month, leaving California as the only state not to allow car insurance rates based on driving data
Image by Matt Gush.If a community provides land, infrastructure and resources for AI data centers, the residents deserve a share of the economic opportunity they create.
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.