Illustration by Chris Shary92. Scott Rodd
In just over two years covering politics at the Capitol, Scott Rodd’s work has shown that he and his employers at Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio won’t settle for pedestrian daily coverage. Rodd’s investigation into California’s failed wildfire prevention efforts led to a $500 million increase in this year’s state budget— not bad for
Illustration by Chris Shary39: Kristin Bertolina Faust
To rise to Gov. Newsom’s level, you need to do a lot of fundraising. And indeed, the governor employs some fantastic fundraisers in Stefanie Roumeliotes and Ryan Baukol. But his top overall rainmaker is Kristin Bertolina Faust, who has also raised big bucks for Kamala Harris and served as campaign manager
Illustration by Chris Shary66: Mandy Lee
To call Mandy Isaacs-Lee a rising star in Sacramento really doesn’t seem appropriate anymore because she has already arrived in full force as a power player in California politics. She’s the founder and principal of Omni Government Relations, a serious firm representing serious clients like Tesla, CVS and Kaiser and a suite
Illustration by Chris Shary100: Alexei Koseff
Fodder for national pundits, ambitious Republicans and a Saturday Night Live skit, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attendance at a maskless birthday party for lobbyist Jason Kinney (see No. 65) at The French Laundry was the game-changing California politics story of 2020, thanks to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Alexei Koseff. It provided fuel
An officer exits his vehicle prior to conducting a search in Ventura. (Photo: Glenn Highcove, via Shutterstock)ANALYSIS: In late July, the Office of the Attorney General released Homicide in California 2020, its annual report on the state’s murders. Media outlets in California and elsewhere quickly covered the report. The story, targeting a “31 percent increase in murders, the most in 13 years,” was reported by a variety of news organizations.
Gov. Gavin Newsom at an environmental cleanup even in Long Beach on Aug. 5.(Photo: Howard Freshman)ANALYSIS: We’re headed for another recall election, the first in nearly 20 years. A lot of things have changed, including the number of voters who will be casting their ballots by mail. Looking back at 2003, there were only 3 million voters who received their ballots in the mail. This cycle, all 22 million voters are getting their ballots in the mail, and we’re likely to see the vast majority of those cast by mail prior to Election Day.
A sign in Yorba Linda advocating Gov. Gavin Newsom's recall. (Photo: Matt Gush.)Deeply divided California voters will go to the polls on Sept. 14 — earlier, if they vote by mail — to decide whether Gov. Gavin Newsom should be recalled and who should replace him. The polls are tight. A July 24-27 poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies has 47 percent of those most likely to vote wanting to boot Newsom out of office, while 50 percent want to retain him. So what helps Newsom and what doesn’t?
Allen Zaremberg, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, on Monday announced his retirement. (Photo: Cal Chamber file)Allan Zaremberg, the top executive at the California Chamber of Commerce for more than two decades, announced Monday he was stepping down. He is expected to stay in place through the end of the year.
The decennial census data released last week by the US Census Bureau offered insights into how the country has changed since 2010 and will be instrumental in redrawing California’s political maps. Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., offers his thoughts on what the data portend for California’s redistricting.
The Lava Fire burns in June on the northwest side of Mt. Shasta. (Photo: Trevor Bexon, via Shutterstock)
The statistics are terrifying, the damage heartbreaking and California wildfires continue their rampage. “We’re at a pivotal moment in California history as we choose how to spend billions of dollars for climate resilience and wildfire preparation in the state budget,” said state Sen. Henry Stern, chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management.