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.
Ballots that will be mailed to voters across California for the Sept. 14 recall election. (Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald, via Shutterstock)A million-dollar donation to fight the recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom came from Washington state, not California, and from a name familiar in the world of finance and high tech. Connie Ballmer, who is married to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, contributed $1 million to Newsom’s campaign, the second-largest donation thus far to the anti-recall effort.
An April 2021 demonstration in Los Angeles against masks and vaccination requirements. (Photo: Michael Gordon via Shutterstock)A proposal sailing through the California Legislature that aims to stop people from getting harassed outside of vaccination sites is raising alarms among some First Amendment experts. The measure was introduced after protesters briefly shut down a mass vaccination clinic at Dodger Stadium in January.
Longtime lobbyist Chris Micheli stops by the Capitol Weekly Podcast to talk with John Howard and Tim Foster about his TWO new case books: Introduction to California State Government and Cases and Materials on Direct Democracy in California. Micheli is a lawyer and an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law.
Photo by Kelly M. Grow / California Department of Water Resources. March 2019The 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.
Low water during at Lake Shasta reservoir during an earlier drought. (Photo: David Greitzer, via Shutterstock)When asked to name the most important environmental issue facing the state today, Californians are most likely to mention water supply and drought—a shift from a year ago. About six in ten Californians approve of Gov. Newsom’s handling of environmental issues, and a similar share approve of President Biden on the environment. Overwhelming majorities of Californians—including majorities across partisan groups—believe that developing alternative energy sources should be prioritized over expanded use of oil, coal, and natural gas in the nation’s energy supply.
An illustration of a California voter casting a ballot. (Photo: Niyazz, via Shutterstock)Berkeley IGS Poll: The election will be decided not by the overall electorate, but by only those who choose to take part in the recall. And, when the voting preferences of those considered most likely to participate are examined, the outcome becomes much closer, with 47% favoring Newsom’s recall and 50% favoring his retention.
Vertical-axis wind turbines in California. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)Officials with jurisdiction over about 80 percent of California’s power grid say the state faces a grim outlook as summer heat, wildfires and a severe drought intensify. Hoping to reduce strain on the power grid, experts are looking at alternative energy generation, distribution and storage. Some of these systems, inspired in part by the meltdown of California’s electricity market two decades ago, already are in place across the state.
Today we welcome Randall Hagar, the Policy Consultant and Legislative Advocate for the Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California. Hagar has been advocating for sound mental health policies for over 20 years and helped draft the language for the original Laura’s Law, a landmark state law that allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment. Hagar joined John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about the growing numbers of mentally ill Californians that are either homeless or behind bars, and efforts to reform the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, the 1967 legislation that put strict limits on involuntary commitment. He also outlines the big difference between a Probate Conservatorship (i.e. what pop star Britney Spears has) and the mental illness conservatorships that exist under Lanterman-Petris-Short.