There are too few nurses and other health workers in California now, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. What is in progress to recruit more high school and community college students into training programs?
John Eastman, photo via Associated PressJohn Eastman has been alternatively described as a brilliant legal scholar, a mild-mannered political animal and co-conspirator in a plot to illegally overturn an election. But just who is John Eastman really? Since he transmogrified from a relatively anonymous, dial-a-quote law professor in Orange County to one of the supposed masterminds of Donald Trump’s Hail Mary ploy to hold onto the presidency, Eastman and his once-sterling reputation have been irrevocably tarnished, putting both his career and freedom in jeopardy.
Capitol caucuses, image by Andrii Yalanskyi Both the Senate and Assembly have several caucuses beyond the main party caucuses: Rural Caucus, Latino Caucus, Jewish Caucus, Black Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, etc. But which wields the most power behind the scenes? We asked our experts to weigh in.
Lucia Saldivar, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyGrowing up in San Ysidro, just this side of the California-Mexico border, Lucia Saldivar thought she was going to be a musician, like her father. “Music always helped me make sense of the world and my community,” she says. “Then in high school, I learned a new language to help make sense of the world around me, and that was politics and policy.”
Lobbyists numbers in decline, image by fotogestoeberSomething strange seems to have happened this cycle: the number of registered lobbyists decreased for the first time in 14 years. But here’s the thing: nobody’s exactly sure what’s behind it or what it means.
Young girl hiding behind period calendar, image by PhotoroyaltyWith over half of American women in a 2023 poll stating that they’ve felt embarrassed about their period at some point, it is no surprise that there is a lack of discourse on menstrual cycle advocacy in governments across the country. In recent years, however, California has begun to make long-awaited strides towards ending this discrimination.
Lobbying dollars, image by esferaFor the entire first half of 2023 – that is, the first and second quarters combined – special interests paid more than $147 million to lobbying firms, per California Secretary of State disclosures analyzed in mid-August.
Cassidy Denny, image by Scott Duncan PhotographyCassidy Denny, Legislative Director to Senator Angelique Ashby, did not envision joining the policy world when she was recruited to Colorado State University to play volleyball as an undergraduate. It wasn’t until Denny learned about the policies behind slavery and other tragedies involving Black history on a learn and serve trip to Ghana that Denny realized that she wanted to pursue a career in justice.
Capitol Weekly's Top 100 2023When I took over as editor of Capitol Weekly back in January, the first thing most people wanted to know was what kind of changes I was going to make. My very honest response was that I wasn’t planning any major changes at all. To quote the old colloquialism, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t freshen it up from time to time. And with that thought in mind, welcome to the 15th edition of the Capitol Weekly Top 100 list.
California Blackjack, image by VictorWardA long-simmering and incredibly convoluted fight over “California Blackjack” may finally be decided in court, thanks to a bill pending in the Legislature. Senate Bill 549 by Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, would give California’s gaming tribes legal standing to sue California cardrooms over an arcane system they employ to offer Blackjack, which the tribes insist is in violation of state law.