Opinion

Bioenergy: Clean power that helps us meet climate goals

Wood chips that serve as a renewable heating and energy sources. (Photo: Elmar Gubisch, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Wednesday, Oct. 20, marks National Bioenergy Day, where we celebrate the benefits the industry provides. Bioenergy helps the state become less reliant on fossil fuels using resources from the agricultural and forestry sectors. The residuals from those industries are used to produce renewably fueled electricity.

Opinion

California okays continuing education for real estate appraisers

Sold sign in front of a house in a California residential neighborhood. (Photo: Sundry Photography, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Gov. Newsom recently signed 27 new bills to increase affordable housing supply and strengthen accountability for professionals who work in and around the real estate industry. Together, the suite of bills aims to bring transparency and accountability, including the creation of a new enforcement unit within state government.

News

SEIU leader resigns amid theft, perjury charges

A group of SEIU members and supporters at a rally in Los Angeles. (Photo: RoidRanger, via Shutterstock)

Alma Hernández, the executive director of the 700,000-member of SEIU California labor union, resigned Wednesday after she and her husband were accused of multiple charges that  included perjury, fraud and grand theft. “We have accepted Ms. Hernández’s resignation, and we have cooperated fully with authorities on this matter and will continue to do so,” the SEIU State Council said in a written statement.

Opinion

Prop. 22 ruling hurts app-based drivers, California voters

A view from the backseat of a Lyft vehicle. (Photo: Benoit Daoust, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: All over the country, we’ve seen repeated attempts by some to undermine our elections and suppress voter participation, particularly for minorities and underserved communities. In response, progressives and social justice advocates have fought valiantly to protect the voter’s rights and uphold the integrity of our elections.

Opinion

Fight climate change, yes — but don’t sacrifice the workers

A construction worker on the job in Anaheim. (Photo: Benjamin Clapp, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California is in the midst of transformational policy changes in order to address climate change, with lawmakers and regulators considering dozens of laws and regulations every year that will greatly alter our transportation, water, energy, housing, and other construction sectors.

Opinion

Fights over climate change, redistricting at critical stage

Sunset and silhouette of a joshua tree in Joshua Tree National Park. (Photo: Sean Lema, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: This month is a pivotal moment in the fight against the climate crisis. On the table is the single largest government investment in U.S. history to support our transition to clean energy, improve our drinking water systems, mitigate the impacts of wildfire on our state, and much more. 

News

Urgency or special? That is the question

The Assembly chamber at the state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: Felix Lipov, via Shutterstock)

California courts are occasionally faced with scrutinizing the lawmakers’ decisions to label some bills as urgency statutes and others as special statutes. It may sound unexciting, but the reality is this: The courts’ rulings can affect millions of Californians.

News

Stem cell agency seeks to weaken conflict-of-interest rules

Two of the members of the CIRM governing board, Chair Jon Thomas and Vice Chair Art Torres, during an earlier meeting.(Photo: CIRM)

Directors of the $12 billion California stem cell agency have moved to weaken conflict of interest provisions affecting its governing board — eliminating “leave-the-room” requirements that are used by most private nonprofits to assure the integrity of their operations.

Opinion

For seniors’ dental care, Medicare needs to step up

A photo illustration of two aspects of age -- false teeth and glasses. (Image: Arrfoto, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Strengthening Medicare by adding dental benefits could help more than 4.5 million in California; the largest number of Medicare beneficiaries of any state. Most seniors are surprised to learn that when they retire and begin to rely on Medicare for their health coverage, they are left without oral health care. In fact, of the 60 million Medicare beneficiaries, more than two-thirds don’t have any dental coverage at all.

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Polls predict tight race for Newsom

Photo by Kelly M. Grow / California Department of Water Resources. March 2019

The latest Berkeley IGS Poll finds that among likely voters, 47% favor recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom and only 50% favor his retention. Those numbers are a stark warning for a governor serving amid the most turbulent era in memory, where extreme circumstances within – and beyond – his control could impact the attitude of the electorate at any moment.

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