Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: As her final term in the senate comes to an end, Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman joined us to reflect on her twelve years in the state legislature. A self-described “pragmatic progressive,” Eggman represents the 5th Senate District – San Joaquin County, parts of Stanislaus County and the Sacramento County community of Galt – areas which saw a significant Republican shift this year; San Joaquin County went to Trump in 2024. We asked what she thought her party could do to speak to disaffected voters, what she saw as her successes from her time in office, and where she goes from here.
News
Legislators in both parties openly admit they frequently don’t vote on bills not because they’re lazy, but because “no” votes are taken personally by their colleagues. But because the “no vote recorded” category encompasses multiple behaviors, there’s a quiet push to change the way votes are recorded to include at least one other category, abstention.
Micheli Minute
Lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Micheli Files
In recent years, Capitol observers have witnessed vacancies occur in state legislative offices and even constitutional offices in California. What is the process for filling vacancies in the California Legislature? What is the process for filling vacancies in constitutional offices?
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: While most political junkies have their eyes on DC in the wake of Donald Trump’s successful bid to return to the White House, we’re looking south, where Los Angeles voters delivered a seismic shift to the region’s politics, passing Measure G, which expands the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine, and Charter Amendment DD, which creates an independent redistricting commission for the city.
News
Two years after California voters rejected online sports betting following an epic and costly ballot box fight, the two major forces at odds over the issue – California’s powerful gaming tribes and online sports betting companies like DraftKings and FanDuel – suddenly find themselves united against a common enemy: so-called gray market “sweepstakes” gambling sites that both camps say are cutting into their profits and undermining legal gaming operations here and across the country.
Micheli Minute
Lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Micheli Files
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a special session of the Legislature for Dec. 2nd to “safeguard California values” against perceived threat from another Trump administration. Today’s edition of the Micheli Files has all you need to know about how such sessions work.
News
Daisy Gonzales, the new Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), is no stranger to navigating crises. From her upbringing as a foster youth, juggling school while moving homes, to managing the Assembly Budget Committee during the recession, Dr. Gonzales knows how to find innovative solutions to challenging situations.
News
The longstanding private college admissions practice of giving preference to the offspring of big bucks donors or notable alumni will soon come to an end in California. For some observers, the final sunset of legacy admissions across the state’s higher education system can’t come fast enough.
Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman
