A family pet receives care in a veterinary hospital. (Photo: Didesign021, via Shutterstock)A California statute governing blood-banking programs and transfusions for dogs has flown under the radar for the past 7 years, causing private veterinarians to break a law that they did not know existed. The issue would still be cloaked in obscurity had it not been for comments that emerged during a recent veterinary seminar at UC Davis.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, questions a witness at a June 7 hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Photo: AP/Susan Walsh)Getting interrupted on two occasions during nationally televised Senate hearings has proved to be a political boon for Sen. Kamala Harris. California’s junior U.S. senator has drawn positive headlines and support on social media for what some perceive as sexist treatment by her Republican male colleagues. Media outlets across the country have identified Harris, a Democrat, as a possible presidential candidate in 2020, though she has said it is too early to think about that.
A photo illustration of human DNA. (Photo: Shutterstock)Plans to ask California voters in 2018 to approve a $5 billion bond issue to finance the California stem cell agency have been shelved, a director of the agency said Thursday. Jeff Sheehy, a San Francisco county supervisor, said that the key backer of the proposal had informed him that no bond measure would be offered to voters before 2020, presumably at the presidential general election.
Human embryonic stem cells. (Photo: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine)California’s 12-year-old stem cell research effort is expected to give away tens of millions of dollars in public this week, but its most important matters — issues that deal with its survival and future — likely will be discussed behind closed doors at a meeting Thursday of its governing board. On the table is the leadership of the $3 billion organization, which is scheduled to run out of cash in just three years.
A view towards Palo Alto, Stanford and the cities of south San Francisco Bay, where housing is at a premium.(Photo: Sundry Photography)California lawmakers are in midst of trying to solve a housing crisis that has spread throughout the state. The state’s Department of Housing and Community Development — an agency that works to expand access to affordable housing — says California has built an average of 80,000 homes a year for the past decade, which is less than half of the 180,000 new homes needed to keep up with the predicted population growth through 2025.
Board of Equalization headquarters in Sacramento. (Photo: BOE) Ask the average Californian what the state Board of Equalization (BOE) does and you’re likely to get a blank look. That may not matter anymore. Much of what the 138-year-old agency does — which includes collecting some $60 billion in taxes — will be taken away from it amid a spate of recent reports about potential corruption and possible criminality.
Rob Lapsley, president and CEO of the California Business Roundtable. (Photo: Tim Foster)Rob Lapsley, the president and CEO of the California Business Roundtable, joins Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to discuss one of the biggest policy issues of the year — the extension of California’s cap-and-trade auction program.
Illustration by CBProject, via ShutterstockThe 2020 count by the U.S. Census could have a big impact on California’s political districts. The numbers mean everything.
For example, will California lose a Congressional seat if the count comes in lower than expected? Some political observers say yes. If we lose a seat, will it be at the expense of an African American incumbent? Will California gain a congressional seat, giving the state 54th seat in the House?
If so, where will it be? In the Inland Empire? Let’s find out. Let’s ask Paul Mitchell.
A San Francisco street scene. (Photo: Oneinchpunch, via Shutterstock)Part 3: As California grows, the shifts of population within the state can have a dramatic impact on the drawing of future political boundaries. These shifts can be broken into two different types of population counts: The absolute population counts as defined by the 2020 U.S. Census, and the citizen voting age populations, or CVAP.
The House of Representatives, which may wind up with new members following the 2020 redistricting. (Photo: House of Representatives) ANALYSIS: California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was established by two ballot measures in 2008 and 2010, following several unsuccessful pushes by Republicans who saw themselves as perpetually sidelined when it came to drawing the state’s political boundaries. Success came when they were joined by a coalition of non-partisan groups and deep-pocket Silicon Valley funders, who saw the commission as a part of overall reforms, like the creation of an open primary.