Attendees at a 2016 political rally in Santa Monica. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)The 2018 primary election is right around the corner. And with stories of higher turnout and a Democratic wave in states like Virginia and Alabama, many political consultants and observers are expecting to see some higher turnout in California this June, with a potentially strong Democratic and Latino surge.
The entrance to Sacramento State University. ((Photo: Sacramento State)A funding gap between Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2018-19 budget and the draft spending plan of the California State University may lead to a tuition increase for CSU students, including those at Sacramento State. CSU students across the state would face a 4 percent tuition increase, or $228 per semester, totaling $5,970 for the 2018-19 academic year.
Alexei Koseff, photo by Tim Foster, Capitol WeeklySacramento Bee reporter Alexei Koseff covers California politics and higher education for the Bee’s capitol bureau — and handles the state Assembly, too. Alexei joined Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to chat about the challenges facing UC — Alexei is a Stanford alumnus, by the way — and the unique, constitutionally protected position the institution occupies in California’s educational structure.
Nurses and physicians in a busy hospital corridor. (Photo: Monkey Business Images)The California Nurses Association is still committed to pushing through its controversial universal health care bill despite stiff opposition from the Democratic Assembly Speaker and medical professional organizations. The union has a strong ally in front-runner gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, who says that a single-payer system as proposed in Senate Bill 562 is the best way to provide health care to all.
Gov. Brown delivers his 16th state of the state address. (Photo: Screen capture, ABC 7 Los Angeles).Jerry Brown professes to not be interested in legacies. Yet his 16th and final state-of-the-state speech last week was all about a legacy – his own. The governor talked about how dire the state’s fiscal situation was before he became governor. Then he talked about how good things are now that he’s been in charge for the last seven years.
Outside the House office of California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, who plans to retire, following an apparent uptick in Democratic strength in his district. (Photo: Katherine Welles)>The national narrative on the 2018 election goes something like this: The first midterm election of a new president always goes strongly against the party in power. President Trump has been more unpopular in his first term than any in the modern age of polling, so this could get very bad for Republicans.
Collection of Jerry Brown campaign pins found on eBay.Longtime friend, journalist and Jerry Brown biographer Chuck McFadden joins the Capitol Weekly Podcast to talk about Brown’s 16th — and final — State of the State address, his legacy and what may lie ahead for the 79-year old governor.
The Milky Way viewed through the trees in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.(Photo: David Hoffmann)When it comes to national monuments, California is hoping it won’t suffer a fate similar to Utah’s. President Trump recently signed orders to reduce the size of two Utah national monuments. But will there be others?
Photo illustration of voter registration. Southern California voter registration outweighs signups in the north by big numbers, and some pundits are predicting that a surge of SoCal votes will boost Angelinos running for statewide office in 2018. That would leave Northern California candidates — such as gubernatorial contender Gavin Newsom — at a disadvantage. Not so fast, says Political Data whiz Paul Mitchell.
CalPERS headquarters, downtown Sacramento. (Photo: CalPERS)CalPERS wants unions and local government groups to come up with legislation that would retroactively correct a mistake that could lead to more pension cuts, like the 63 percent reduction last July in pensions promised about 200 former employees of LA Works.