Dennis Mangers (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)We sat down with Mangers to chat about the changes that have turned Orange County blue (or maybe purple) and about life after elected office. These days Mangers, a former lobbyist and president of the California Cable & Telecommunications Association, is an adviser to Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and is busy supporting the nonprofit Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists.
Dan Jacobson, state director for Environment California. (Photo: Tim Foster)Dan Jacobson, Environment California’s state director, sits down with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to chat about the “straw law,” which would curb the proliferation of single-use plastic straws. Those ubiquitous little tubes damage the environment by ending up in the ocean and clogging waterways, among other things.
Mindy Romero of the Califorrnia Civic Engagement Project. (Photo: Scott Duncan, Capitol Weekly)Elections expert Mindy Romero of the California Civic Engagement Project joins Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to chat about California’s primary election turnout and what we might expect to see in November.
Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 at a platform committee meeting of the Democratic National Committee.On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster are joined by Steve Swatt, a veteran political analyst and former news reporter who at the age of 24 covered RFK’s murder and the trial of the assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, for United Press International.
Image: California Secretary of StateThere’s a lot going on here: A fifth of the electorate has already voted by mail, and more mailed ballots are coming in all the time. A lot of millennials got signed up through the registration program at the DMV, but what impact will that have on the contests? It looks like the SF Bay Area will outperform — again — L.A., and it’s still not clear whether a gaggle of GOP congressional incumbents are really vulnerable.
Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association. (Photo: Tim Foster)Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, sat down with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about ways to cut health care costs, including a new experiment in Maryland that seeks to replace per-patient payments with a single annual payment designed to focus on keeping patients healthier.
Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)The high-stakes political battle over health care has gripped the Capitol and, ultimately, it is all but certain to play out in the state budget and in this year’s elections. A major figure in the debate is Anthony Wright, the executive director of Health Access California, which advocates for the expansion of reasonably priced, quality health care.
Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, speaks to a reporter at a news conference announcing the capture of a suspect in the East Area Rapist case. (Photo: Tim Foster Assemblyman Jim Cooper was on hand at Wednesday’s press conference announcing the capture of a suspect in the notorious East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker/Golden State Killer case had been arrested. Cooper, a 30-year veteran and former captain of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, sat down with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to chat about the crucial role of DNA collection in the solution of this and other cold-case crimes.
Louis Mirante of California YIMBY. (Photo: Tim Foster)Nothing ever really dies in the Capitol, as the saying goes, but sometimes you come across a knockout blow. And that’s what happened with SB 827, a sweeping bill aimed at addressing California’s housing crisis. To the surprise of just about everybody and after months of media attention, the measure was rejected decisively in its first committee hearing. Joining us today to take a look at all this is Louis Mirante of California YIMBY, who sat down with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to chat about the issue.
An early law enforcement rendering of the Unabomber, based on the description of a witness. Twenty two years ago this week, federal authorities arrested Ted Kaczynski — known as the Unabomber — in his remote cabin near Lincoln, Montana, ending a 17-year reign of terror. While the Unabomber had no strong ties to the Sacramento region, both his first and final murders occurred here. It was in 1995 that Kaczynski, a Harvard-trained mathematician and forest recluse, claimed his final victim, Sacramento timber lobbyist Gil Murray.