Jodi Hicks at her office in Sacramento in November 2017. (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)Jodi Hicks is co-chair of Mercury Public Affairs’ Sacramento office. She is the first woman and the first Asian-America to serve in that role and is regarded as one of the Capitol community’s foremost advocates of quality health care. Capitol Weekly’s Chuck McFadden caught up with her recently for a chat.
A Pizza Supreme Being pie. Photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol Weekly)REVIEW: When you enter Pizza Supreme Being, it looks simple. Simple menu (slices and whole pies; 5 flavors), simple –nonexistent really—décor; one quick glance encompasses the entire interior. There are 20 seats total, including patio, a self-serve cooler with a well-chosen selection of sodas, craft beer and wine, and a letter board menu. As I walk in, a stylish young woman declares, “reminds me of cool pizzerias where you’d have little league.”
Demonstrators outside the governor's office in the state Capitol protesting vaccination legislation. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)Amid shouting and pounding on doors by hundreds of vaccination opponents, Gov. Gavin Newsom late Monday signed two bills designed to limit medical exemptions for school vaccinations. Hundreds of vaccination opponents delayed state Senate action on the bills for two hours by shouting from the gallery and displaying an upside-down American flag.
A utility worker handles repairs on a power pole. (Photo: Richard Thornton, via Shutterstock)PG&E’s reputation has been so battered over its wildfire liabilities and other problems that some think it should change its name. A group of bondholders trying to take over the utility company has proposed that they re-brand it to Golden State Power Light & Gas Co. They made the proposal during proceedings in PG&E’s bankruptcy court case earlier this year.
Stem cell research using what's known as a PCR strip. (Image: Science Photo via Shutterstock) Backers of a California ballot initiative to provide $5.5 billion more for the state’s cash-strapped stem cell agency say they will take their first official step by the end of this month.That’s when they will submit the proposed measure to California election officials and trigger a many-months-long process. The effort is aimed at ensuring that the nearly 15-year-old research effort survives in a meaningful way beyond next year.
A California school bus powered by propane. (Photo: SchoolBusFleet.com)In the last decade, numerous California school districts have adopted propane-based school buses in an attempt to eliminate costs and toxic emissions. Since 2013, the Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento has added 16 propane buses to its fleet and expects up to 12 more in the next month.
Shahid Buttar, a Democrat running against Nancy Pelosi in the primary election in San Francisco's 12th Congressional District. (Photo: Joaquin Romero)REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: In the grand ballroom of the Hilton Union Square, in the heart of San Francisco, hundreds of Democratic delegates, campaign members and presidential candidates recently attended the summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee. And among the flurry of party officials and media members was Shahid Buttar, Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s 12th District.
University of Southern California student Daniella Mohazab, right, speaks at a Los Angeles news conference last year. (Photo: Associated Press) Daniella Mohazab didn’t know what to expect from her first pelvic exam in 2016. The University of Southern California sophomore, then 19, was startled when her doctor examined her vagina for several minutes without gloves, but assumed it was standard procedure.It wasn’t until two years later, when she read about Dr. George Tyndall’s alleged sexual abuse against USC students, that she realized she may have been sexually violated by him as well.
The entrance to Frank Fat's on L Street. (Photo: Frank Fat's)Standing only about 5 feet 2 inches tall, Frank Fat left a big impression with everyone who knew him. Arriving in America as a teen-ager, the Chinese immigrant opened a chain of restaurants in the Sacramento area, was active in community causes and built strong relations with everyone from politicians to ordinary citizens.This year, his flagship restaurant Frank Fat’s in downtown Sacramento two blocks from the Capitol, is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
An array of voters casting their ballots. (Photo: Alexandru Nika, via Shutterstock)A report from the Public Policy Institute of California on the makeup of the California electorate as the 2020 elections approach. Eight in ten eligible voters are registered to vote; independent registration continues to increase. As of February 2019, 19.9 million of California’s 25.3 million eligible adults were registered to vote. At 79.1% of eligible adults, this is an increase from the registration rate in 2015 (72.7%), the last year preceding a presidential election.