News

Kamala Harris will not run for Governor

Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris speaking at a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris ended speculation that she would run for governor of California with posts on social media this afternoon.

News

The nuanced politics of Bonta’s daily fantasy opinion

Attorney General Rob Bonta (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

News that Attorney General Rob Bonta had ruled in early July that daily fantasy is illegal in California sparked a flurry of one-day stories about the opinion and reactions to it, most notably Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blunt disagreement with the AG. The dynamics of the situation, however, are far more complex and nuanced than those basic narratives.

News

George Steffes: 1935-2025

Sacramento lobbyist George Steffes.

Longtime Capitol lobbyist and Reagan aide George Steffes has passed. He died at UCD Med Center after weeks of hospitalization after suffering a fall. He was 90.

News

California and AI: Capitol Weekly conference recap

Senator Scott Wiener delivers the Keynote at the California and AI conference on July 8, 2025. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly

At the latest Capitol Weekly-University of California Student and Policy Center conference this week, “California and AI,” panelists explored the policy implications of the transformative technology sweeping the globe and embraced by fields as diverse as medicine and hospitality.

News

Bill to unionize rideshare drivers the product of a decade of work

Ride share driver in car using the rideshare app in mobile phone. Image by Tero Vesalainen.

AB 1340 represents roughly a decade or more of work by labor in the state. Ever since Uber launched in 2009, there’s been an ongoing, global debate on whether rideshare drivers are indeed independent contractors, as claimed by the apps, or bona fide employees, as claimed by workers and labor advocates.

Rising Stars

Rising Stars: Mauricio Torres

Mauricio Torres. Photo by Ellie Appleby for Capitol Weekly.

Whether he’s deciphering complex policy language or hiking renowned trails like the Inca Trail or the W Trek in Patagonia, Mauricio Torres Jr. approaches it all with confidence, curiosity and a deep connection to the communities he serves.

News

Time running out on prison jobs for disabled workers in SEIU dispute

Vacaville Correctional Medical Facility. Photo by AP.

Without emergency legislation, a little more than two dozen disabled people, including veterans, who work as janitors at a state prison facility in Vacaville are poised to lose their jobs at the end of this month due to a protest lodged by the Service Employees International Union Local 1000.

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