CIRM Board Chairman Vito Imbasciani, with interim president Jonathan Thomas, photo courtesy of CIRMThe former chairman of the California stem cell agency is back on the job with the $12 billion agency – this time as its interim president while a search proceeds for a permanent chief executive officer.
Kevin McCarthy, image via Associated PressCalifornia Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s stunning announcement that he will resign from Congress before his term ends has sent the state’s political class and those who cover it into an uproar. The possibilities of who might seek to replace the former House Speaker are numerous, and names of conceivable candidates began flying seemingly moments after his announcement became public. But for now, McCarthy still holds the cards for how exactly that all goes down.
Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button. Image via YouTubeKevin McCarthy is the Benjamin Button of California politics. Began his career as an adult. Ended it as a baby.
The Commerce Casino, image by Steve CukrovThe California Bureau of Gambling Control has unveiled draft language for potential new regulations that could effectively turn the card room industry – and the cities that depend on the revenue they generate – on their heads. Not surprisingly, card rooms are incensed. But so are their biggest rivals – tribal casinos.
Image by Consolidated News PhotosWhen U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in late September, there was immediate speculation as to who Gov. Gavin Newsom would appoint to fill out much of the remainder of her term. But when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced today that he will be leaving Congress at the end of the year, the talk has all been about who will run in the special election to replace him. Wait. Why wouldn’t the governor appoint a temporary replacement for McCarthy too? Today, 37 states have opted to temporarily fill Senate vacancies through gubernatorial appointment. The remaining 13 have not taken that option; they may only fill vacancies through special elections, like in the House.
Emily and Robbie with UCD's Diana Farmer. Photo courtesy of UCDThe California stem cell agency had a $9 million moment last week that involved a “stem cell fairy godmother,” two English bulldogs named Darla and Spanky, four lambs and a baby from Texas named Robbie. While it took the agency only moments to hand out the $9 million, it took the fairy godmother more than 25 years to make it happen.
First Lady Rosalynn Carter, photo courtesy of APTributes to First Lady Rosalynn Carter invariably cite her lifelong commitment to improving care for people with severe mental illness. As she stumped for her husband during the closing days of the 1976 presidential campaign, she brought that advocacy to the unlikely locale of Bakersfield.
Image by Netfalls Remy MusserConfusion and complexity are features, not bugs, of the bizarre subculture of California cardrooms and their related entities, third-party proposition players (TPPPs), which tie cardrooms together into sprawling networks of interwoven gaming businesses that seem to work in concert with one another. But while the TPPP system is perfectly legal, some question where it is ethical.
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, photo courtesy of Associated PressCalifornia is one of eight states with a salary range transparency law, but critics contend some employers are violating the spirit of the law by posting artificially wide salary ranges. But the private sector isn’t alone – the California Legislature is also guilty of posting extraordinarily wide ranges across numerous positions.
The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research building at University of California Irvine, a CIRM major facility. Photo courtesy of CIRMCalifornia’s $12 billion stem cell and gene therapy program could be treading water for the next 12 months in the view of at least one of its leaders as it searches for a new president of the 19-year-old enterprise. Past presidential searches have been burdened by a legal, dual executive arrangement that has been described by a former board member as a “dog’s breakfast.”