Experts Expound
Experts Expound: How much is too much?
Multitasking. Image by CreativaImages. The latest question posed to our panel of experts: “Should there be a hard limit on the number of committees a legislator can serve on?”
Multitasking. Image by CreativaImages. Lobbying
Steady, elite firms dominate the lobbying field in Sacramento
Image by Baris-Ozer. A little more than three dozen large, stable lobbying firms dominate the Capitol market. According to lobbying disclosures filed through the fifth quarter of the current cycle, the top 40 firms analyzed by Capitol Weekly received 57% of the more than $436 million spent on lobbying firms in 2025 and 2026.
Micheli Files
Notes for the end-of-session
California Assembly Chambers. Photo by Capitol Weekly. With the final weeks of Session upon us, several procedural items that regularly occur on the Floors of the California Legislature may be in order. Today intrepid Capitol lobbyist, law professor and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Chris Micheli offers insights into understanding the session’s closing moments.
News
Becerra laps Hilton in the money race
Xavier Becerra. Photo by AP. Xavier Becerra outraised his Republican opponent for governor by more than two to one in donations of $1,000 or more during the first half of August, as Sacramento’s inside players continued betting heavily on the Democratic frontrunner to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
News
Top 100 2026: The more things change… the more they change
I don’t have to tell anyone this is an election year. Between last November’s special election, the June primary and the impending mid-terms this fall, the winds of change – or not, depending on how a few things roll out – are everywhere. All of this is reflected in this year’s Top 100 list, and will assuredly be in the future. Because in this world change is the only constant.
News
California’s Voter ID initiative goes national
Carl DeMaio. Photo by AP.If it wasn’t before, a California initiative to tighten voting requirements became nationalized when Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein, one of President Donald J. Trump’s large donors, contributed $6.5 million to the Yes-on-Proposition 39 campaign.
Podcast
A conversation with Adam Silver of the California FPPC
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: It has been a very busy last few years for Fair Political Practices Commission Chairman Adam Silver. In addition to the usual challenges of an election year, Silver has been working on numerous efforts to utilize artificial intelligence in how the FPPC addresses campaign finance issues. He joined us recently on the Capitol Weekly podcast to talk about these issues and more.
Micheli Minute
The Micheli Minute for August 17, 2026
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Micheli Files
Chart of 2026 bill volume of California legislative committees
California Assembly Chambers, photo by Capitol Weekly. The California Legislature’s combined 57 standing committees (32 in the Assembly and 25 in the Senate) have addressed 1,846 bills (1,263 ABs and 583 SBs) during the 2026 Legislative Session.
News
AB 2575: Rage against the machine
Image by Panya Mingthaisong. As lawmakers race toward the end of the legislative session, AB 2575 is just one of many AI-related bills on the docket for them to consider. But amid the countless discussions currently surrounding AI, AB 2575 addresses one issue that may not immediately come to mind: the rights of healthcare workers using these systems.