News

CA120: The math of the March primary

(Vintage engraving of a donkey, modified by Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)

As we barrel toward the March 3 primary election, most eyes are on national and statewide polls showing a tight contest between four top contenders, with the latest Capitol Weekly polling showing Senator Bernie Sanders with a slight lead over Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden, followed by Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of Southbend, Ind.

News

Stem cell agency indirectly boosted by national industry group

A clinical researcher with a multi-pipette arrangement of cancer stem cells. (Photo: Science Photo, via Shutterstock)

One of the nation’s leading regenerative medicine industry groups is touting multi-billion dollar savings that may be achieved with the type of stem cell and gene therapies that are being developed with cash from California’s financially beleaguered stem cell program.

News

CA tracking poll: Sanders leading; Warren, Biden close behind

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders walking in the Independence Day parade with supporters in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr

California’s likely voters increasingly support  Sen. Bernie Sanders in the March 3 Democratic presidential primary,  with Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden following closely, according to Capitol Weekly’s January tracking poll. Sanders, who is capturing strong support from Latinos, has taken the lead in our survey for the first time since we began polling the Democratic field in September.

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The rape crisis among California’s farm workers

A woman struggling with the aftermath of rape and violence. (Image: DoiDam 10, via Shutterstock)

Of all the state’s residents, California’s 265,000 female farm workers are among the most vulnerable when it comes to sexual assault and rape. Farm worker survivors of sexual assault and those who are there to help them, California’s rape crisis centers, face many obstacles: survivors’ lack of English proficiency, immigration status, nature of employment, fear of employer retaliation, and distrust of authorities.

News

CA120: In California, Super Tuesday means super confusion

Voter registration forms at the Santa Cruz County registrar's office. (Photo: Political Data, Inc.)

About 4 million-plus independent voters who are eligible to vote in the Democratic Primary will see no presidential candidates at all on their ballots. What?? Yes.  In March 2020, in one of the hottest primary elections in recent history, where California is set to play a more important role than usual as the largest state on Super Tuesday, there will be approximately 3.5 million voters receiving blank presidential ballots.

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AB 5: Law of the land, but hurdles remain

A an illustration of employment in California. (Image: Shutterstock)

California’s landmark labor law AB 5, the worker-protection law that limits the ability of employers to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, is under fire. AB 5 faces lawsuits from organizations representing freelance journalists, ride-share companies and truck owner-operators. 

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A free-for-all in the 25th CD

California's 25th Congressional District. (Map: Federal Elections Commission)

It’s been a wild year for politics in 2019, from the national to the state scene, and one of the wilder spots is California’s 25th Congressional District. The year started off with Democrats cheering as millennial Katie Hill took the seat, flipping it blue after a 25-year run in Republican hands.

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A rape crisis detailed, step by step

A traumatized woman alone in her room. (Photo: ChameleonsEye, via Shutterstock)

At 10 p.m., Jane Doe is sexually assaulted in Springville, a small town of 1,100 in Tulare County, forty-five miles west of Visalia, at the edge of Sequoia National Forest. After a night working through shock and trying to process what happened, Jane calls the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, who dispatch an officer from Porterville. It is 10 a.m. The officer arrives 30 minutes later.

News

UC, amid lawsuits, eyes value of SAT, ACT tests

The top of Sather Tower at UC Berkeley. (Photo: Guangli, via Shutterstock)

The University of California is facing court challenges over its use of the SAT and ACT tests to decide student admissions.This comes as a special UC faculty group, the Standardized Testing Task Force,  prepares to release its own report on the tests in early 2020.

Analysis

Key points in our tracking poll

A political rally in southern California during the 2016 presidential election. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)

The latest Capitol Weekly tracking poll has been released and here are a few key takeaways. The top tier continues to be a stable force in the survey. With these current results it is likely that four candidates would dominate in the delegate allocations at the congressional level, in which 272 are allocated, and three would be splitting up the 90 statewide delegates, with Pete Buttigieg extremely close to the required 15% threshold.

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