16. Andrew Meredith
Andrew Meredith is another new name on this list, heading the State Building and Construction Trades Council, or BCTC. The top-tier labor group is affiliated through local unions with 450,000 workers focused mostly – but not entirely
10. Ben Chida
Ben Chida is a new name on this list, but you might as well get used to him – he’s going to be around awhile. Chida, 36, currently (it may change before we go to press) is
9. Lauren Sanchez
Lauren Sanchez is Gov. Newsom’s senior climate adviser, a position that didn’t even exist – either in title or substance – until relatively recently. Her title includes “senior” – a real stretch, since she’s only 32 years
2. Joe Stephenshaw
The budget is almost always the most important thing in any governor’s world, and in a state like this one where the budget is an annual feast or famine proposition there is a serious need for a
Plastic Water Bottle Floating in Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica, California, USA. Photo by Danita DelimontCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: On June 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB54, what most stakeholders characterized as the most aggressive plastic packaging recycling/reuse law in the United States. Lobbyist Jennifer Fearing, was a key player in the negotiations; She walks us through the compromise, explains what SB54 will actually do, and talks about the differences between the ballot proposal and the final bill.
A tangle of glass and plastic beverage bottles at a Santa Monica recycling site. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)After a nice dinner with your loved ones, make sure to keep the wine and spirit containers alongside the recyclable bottles. The state Senate passed Senate Bill 1013 on a 39-0 vote and sent it to the Assembly just before lawmakers left for their summer recess.
A dining room at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, which closed last year. (Photo: CDCR)With California’s prison inmate population flatlining, authorities are pondering the closure of three institutions. But many questions remain. The 2022-2023 state budget notes that there is a possibility of three prison closures during 2024 and 2025, based at least in part in the reduction of California’s prison population to about 94,000 in prisons and camps
Office workers rushing to their jobs. (Photo: IR Stone, via Shutterstock)Within their homes and offices, tensions are rising between employers and employees. At least for now, COVID-19 levels appear to be declining, and companies have begun to push their employees to return to the office following an extended period of working from home.
Photo of Governor Gavin Newsom by Gage Skidmore. Used with permission.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Proposition 30 has qualified for the November ballot. The initiative, a proposed 1.75% tax on Californians making over $2 million per year to fund electric vehicle infrastructure and combat wildfires, has fragmented traditional Democratic coalitions, splitting unions and putting Gov. Gavin Newsom – who has pursued an aggressive strategy to phase out gasoline-powered cars – in opposition.
A view of Malibu, one of California's wealthiest enclaves, looking southward from the pier. (photo: Atomazul, via Shutterstock)For the third time in a decade, voters have a chance to raise taxes on the rich, but this time the money would pay for electric vehicles and charging stations instead of schools and community colleges, a distinction that has drawn opposition from key supporters of those previous tax hikes.