Illustration of a California voter casting a ballot by mail. (Image: Vepar 5, via Shutterstock)In the March 3 primary election, Super Tuesday, we are expecting to see an earlier vote than ever before. Over 15 million California ballots are being mailed, mostly today, and we are expecting to see a ton come back in the first week or 10 days. With three-quarters of the electorate being mailed ballots, we know records will be broken.
A pipette and vessels usd in stem cell research. (Photo: CI Photos, via Shutterstock)The price tag for refinancing California’s unique and ambitious stem cell research program could run to close to $7.8 billion, give or take a few hundred million dollars or more. So says the state’s legislative analyst in a financial analysis of a proposed ballot initiative that is likely to be on next November’s ballot.
Illustration of a person suffering from mental illness. (Image: GrAl, via Shutterstock)The modern history of mental-health care in California begins more than half a century ago with passage of the landmark 1967 Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, an ambitious — but ultimately disastrous — overhaul of a draconian “system” of hoary old mental hospitals throughout California. Most of the hospitals were closed, but the “community care” that was to take their place never materialized.
Chris Micheli. Photo by Tim Foster, Capitol WeeklyLongtime lobbyist Chris Micheli stops by the Capitol Weekly Podcast to talk with Tim Foster and John Howard about his new book: A Practitioner’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California.
A young boy dealing with the aftermath of abuse. (Photo: 271 EAK MOTO, via Shutterstock)Sexual abuse victims with decades-old claims say they are grateful to finally get a shot at justice through a new California law that widens the period in which civil claims can be filed. The law, AB 218, went into effect Jan. 1. It allows a three-year “look back” window when victims can file civil claims regardless of when their abuse took place. In cases where the child became a victim because of an institutional coverup, the victim can collect triple the damages.
Presidential contender Elizabeth Warren at a 2019 rally in San Diego. (Photo: John Hancock, via Shutterstock) For the past year, Capitol Weekly has conducted over 10,000 surveys of likely Democratic primary election voters. These surveys have emailed Democratic and nonpartisan voters each month, asking them to complete a survey, and tracked their responses back to their voter registration to allow us to analyze candidate support by ethnicity, age, partisanship, and other factors.
Tents of the homeless along a Los Angeles street. (Photo: Philip Pilosian, via Shutterstock)Less than two months before California’s presidential primary, the Democratic primary remains a three-way race between Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren. Most Californians say President Trump should be removed from office and disapprove of his handling of the situation with Iran. These are among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Brian and John KabateckAnother Kabatalks episode of Capitol Weekly’s pod, wherein two brothers working opposite sides of the political spectrum discuss issues of the day. John Kabateck is a lifelong Republican and longtime spokesperson for the National Federation of Independent Businesses in California. Brian Kabateck is a lifelong Democrat and the former head of the Consumer Attorneys of California.
An aerial view of the freeway system feeding downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)California’s vulnerability to climate change — from deadly fires to sea level rise — has been well documented. But the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal adviser says the state, with rare exceptions, has only just begun to assess the risk climate change poses to roads, dams, parks and schools.
(Vintage engraving of a donkey, modified by Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)As we barrel toward the March 3 primary election, most eyes are on national and statewide polls showing a tight contest between four top contenders, with the latest Capitol Weekly polling showing Senator Bernie Sanders with a slight lead over Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden, followed by Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of Southbend, Ind.