Sacramento Imam Mohammad “Yasir” Khan. (Photo: Council on American Islamic Relations)When Sacramento Imam Mohammad “Yasir” Khan leads the opening invocation for the California Assembly on Jan. 11, he will do so as the first appointed Muslim chaplain in state legislative history.
A food delivery worker arrives at a customer's house. (Photo: Simone Hogan, via Shutterstock)As the new year gets under way, the most significant changes in years to the state’s labor law are in effect. The landmark ballot initiative, Proposition 22, favored by six out of 10 voters in November, defines the future of “gig work” in California. It took effect just weeks ago.
What happens to The Bash for 2021? The good news: it’s on. The bad news: not til later. David Quintana fills in all the details for this year’s Bash, talks about the event’s humble origins, and shares Lil John’s drink of choice. We also discuss Quintana’s new podcast, Politicalish, which mixes politics with his other interests, including true crime, MMA and Hip Hop.
The state Capitol's East Annex. (Photo: State Department of General Services)A fight is brewing in the Capitol – about the Capitol. It’s all about plans to build a new Visitors Center beneath the domed West Wing and demolish the 68-year-old East Annex, replacing it with one of three proposed buildings.
A display of vaccines that are, or will be, available to fight COVID-19. (Photo: iTechGuru, via Shutterstock)The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic’s darkest hour. We now have a path that can lead us to happier times — even as we watch and suffer from the horrible onslaught of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths that mark the end of this regrettable year.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla at a 2019 news conference in the state Capitol. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)Alex Padilla, California’s chief elections officer and a former state legislator, was appointed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The appointment is historic: Padilla, 47, becomes California’s first Latino U.S. senator, representing a state in which about 38 percent of the population is Latino.
Stem cell research using what's known as a PCR strip. (Image: Science Photo via Shutterstock) California’s ambitious stem cell agency has launched itself on a new, $5.5 billion journey, approving a plan to hand out $182 million to researchers by the middle of next year and beefing up its efforts to bring equality to therapies and scientific labs.
Beacon Portraits all 2018For the second year in a row, California has seen its population decline – After generations of growth, the state is losing more people than it gains every year.
What does that mean for a state that has nearly 40 million people already? How many can we afford to lose? And, who is leaving? For this episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast we spoke with Adam Fowler, Director of Research for Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm based in Los Angeles.
The state Christmas tree in front of the Capitol in Sacramento. Photo, taken with fish-eye lens: Robert Schlie, via Shutterstock)The Christmas season tells us that there are only a few days remaining in 2020, California’s anno horribilis. It also means political types begin to harbor fantasies about what they would like Santa to bring them if they’re very, very good.
A woman ponders a map and potential political districts. (Photo: League of Woman Voters of California)Next year, when California lays down political boundaries for a new decade, it will become the first state ever to adopt lines drawn in public by a commission in which women are the majority, election experts say.