News

A report: California Latinos and higher education

A young Laitno student studies in a college library. (Photo: Manuela Durson)

The number of Latinos in California with two- and four-year degrees has doubled in little more than a decade, a dramatic increase. But compared with the overall, growing Latino population, the proportion of college-trained Latino adults over the same period has remained flat — roughly one in 10 from 2005 to 2015. The figures are from a new study commissioned by Univision’s Political, Advocacy and Government Group — which is separate from the network’s news division — on Latinos’ access to higher education in California and reflect the obstacles facing Latinos seeking a college education.

News

Earthquakes: A fight to protect infrastructure

A bicyclist rides by debris following the 1994 Northridge quake. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)

The images of California’s powerful earthquakes over the years have been vivid — the shattered buildings, the collapsed bridges, the buckled highways. A Los Angeles lawmaker is proposing updated earthquake legislation geared toward saving infrastructure, noting that modern building codes are designed to save lives but not necessarily preserve the physical structures.

News

Eric Garcetti’s long, uphill climb

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and friend at the Rose Parade on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. (Photo: Karl_Sonnenberg)

He runs an entity that boasts more population than 21 states plus Puerto Rico.  He is good-looking, well-spoken, and he’s thinking about running for president. He is, of course, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

News

Ted Lieu: Tackling Trump on Twitter

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2016. (Photo: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

Rep. Ted Lieu says he’s surprised by how much reaction he’s gotten nationally for his anti-Trump and other pointed tweets. The Southern California Democrat, whose district includes Beverly Hills and Malibu, said he’s been tweeting since long before the president took office. “I decided when I was a state legislator that I was going to tell the truth,” he said.

News

Death of Nancy McFadden shakes state government

Gov. Brown's top aide, Nancy McFadden, at a 2015 water conference in Sacramento. McFadden died Thursday at the age of 59. (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

Nancy McFadden, who died late Thursday at 59 from ovarian cancer, was the perfect high-level staffer — discreet, smart, and possessed of a wide range of knowledge along with a keen political antenna. As unknown to the public as she was important in California’s government,  McFadden literally ran the state’s mammoth bureaucracy day-to-day. 

News

Deputy Dog: Gov. Welcomes Cali Brown

Deputy First Dog Cali Brown

Tucked into a press release of new gubernatorial appointments was an unfamiliar name: Cali Brown, named today as Deputy First Dog.

From the press release: “Cali, a Bordoodle, is without a doubt the pick of her 13-puppy litter. Cali spent her first two months learning the ropes from a family of ranch dogs, showing promise

News

Survey: GOP’s Cox hitting 2nd place in gov’s race

Illustration of casting a ballot in California. (Image: Niyazz, via Shutterstock)

Democrat Gavin Newsom has surged ahead of Antonio Villaraigosa in the state’s gubernatorial race, and Republican John Cox has made headway among the state’s likely voters. Senator Dianne Feinstein maintains her double-digit lead over fellow Democrat Kevin de León. These are among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

News

John Burton, political icon, still on the move

John Burton smiles as he chats with reporters in 2004 as he leaves the state Senate because of term limits. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

To say that John Burton is wrapped up in politics is a bit like saying the Pacific Ocean is a large body of water. Few California political figures can match his decades of back-and-forth between Washington and Sacramento.  Burton was elected to the Assembly in 1965 and served there until 1974; then he served in the House from 1974 until 1983; then he was back in the Assembly from 1988 until 1996; then he was in the state Senate from 1996 until 2004, serving as Senate leader from 1998 until term limits forced him out.

News

‘Split roll,’ the ghost of Prop. 13, haunts 2018

The late Paul Gann, center, and Howard Jarvis clasp their hands in victory as their ballot initiative, Proposition 13, takes a commanding lead on election night, June 7, 1978. (AP Photo)

Months after President Trump slashed corporations’ federal tax rate, a coalition of progressive California groups is hoping to raise their property taxes. The Schools and Communities First Coalition, which includes the League of Women Voters, Evolve California and other organizations, is seeking signatures to put an initiative on the ballot that would institute a “split roll” property tax system.

News

Amid rains, drought fears loom

A rain storm floats over California. (Photo: Serkan Senturk, via Shutterstock)

After a historically wet season last year, relatively little precipitation has fallen this year in California during two of the three historically wettest months. Officials are urging stricter water conservation and caution drier months ahead. After last week’s rains, the Sierra snowpack — a critical factor in water availability — climbed to just 39 percent of normal. More rain is coming, but the question remains: Will it be enough to block the impacts of a resumption of the drought?

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