Micheli Minute
The Micheli Minute for June 22, 2026
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Podcast
The Primary is over – What now?
Image by Viktor Hanacek. CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: The Capitol Weekly crew look at the California Primary. How did Proposition 50 impact the races, what did billionaires get for their money, and will the generation gap be a defining factor in November? Plus, Who had the Worst Week in California Politics?
Micheli Files
California Legislature’s support agencies
Image by Nicholas Klein. There are several important entities that support the work of the California Legislature. But what do they all do? Capitol lobbyist, McGeorge law professor and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Chris Micheli explains it all for you in this week’s Micheli Files.
News
Big Cities, Big Challenges: Capitol Weekly’s Big City Mayors Forum
Big City Mayors Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, Matt Mahan, Karen Bass, Larry Agran, Daniel Lurie, Jerry Dyer, Rex Richardson. Photo courtesy of Big City Mayors coalition. Mayors from several of California’s largest cities gathered on Wednesday for the Capitol Weekly Big City Mayors Forum to discuss some of the state’s most pressing challenges, including homelessness, housing affordability, economic development, regulatory reform and the evolving relationship between local governments and Sacramento.
Capitol Spotlight
Capitol Spotlight: Marie Liu, Fearless Advocacy
Marie Liu. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol WeeklyAn accidental encounter with a California Senate Fellows brochure launched a career that would take Marie Liu deep into the halls of the Capitol, where she spent more than two decades helping shape California’s environmental policy.
Micheli Minute
The Micheli Minute for June 15, 2026
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Capitol Briefs
Capitol Briefs: Becerra, primary turnout and ballot measures
Image by Png-Studio. California’s jungle primary was as wild as a name like that sounds, but now the fall races are set. Voters turned out big, almost as big as Democrat Xavier Becerra’s lead over Republican Steve Hilton.
Podcast
Game changer: California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: If you have noticed that the state now has less “rolling” blackouts, former state senator Nancy Skinner’s AB 2514 is a big part of the reason. Skinner is serving her first term on the California Energy Commission after serving as a state senator and member of the Assembly. Her legislation created requirements for electrical energy storage systems – she spoke with us about AB 2514, about the Trump Administration’s opposition to California’s climate goals, the challenges (and opportunities) presented by Data Centers, and her landmark Name Image and Likeness legislation, SB 206, which changed college sports across the country. And, with the Primary behind us, we have a long list of candidates for Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.
Experts Expound
Experts Expound: To elect or appoint the insurance commissioner
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara at California Insurance Crisis, May 14, 2025. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyOur Capitol insiders are back to answer another pressing question: Should California return to having the Insurance Commissioner be an appointed position rather than being chosen by voters?
News
Slew of e-bike bills speed forward
Image by SCM Jeans. As the popularity of e-bikes has grown, so too have the instances and severity of crashes involving the motorized bicycles. With that in mind, lawmakers this session have pondered several bills seeking to balance expanding e-bike use and road safety.