Capitol Spotlight
If anyone could claim a rags-to-riches story, it’s Dominique Donette. The 38-year-old director of government affairs for a reconstituted EdVoice began her life at a disadvantage. By the time she was 18, her mom had spent 10 years of her life in prison, and she had yo-yoed between her biological family and foster families throughout California and in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington.
Micheli Files
What are the recesses conducted by the California Legislature? And what is the purpose of Interim Study? There are actually joint recesses after both years of the 2-year Session.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: On July 8, Capitol Weekly and the University of California Student and Policy Center presented California and AI, a daylong look at the Golden State’s approach to regulating Artificial Intelligence. Senator Scott Wiener led the charge both this year and last, and has emerged as one of the key voices in the discussion around AI regulation, and we present his Keynote as part of today’s podcast.
Micheli Minute
Lobbyist, professor, and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento.
News
Longtime Capitol lobbyist and Reagan aide George Steffes has passed. He died at UCD Med Center after weeks of hospitalization after suffering a fall. He was 90.
Capitol Briefs
We are marching quickly toward the Capitol’s summer recess, but we’re not there yet. This week’s Capitol Briefs are here.
News
At the latest Capitol Weekly-University of California Student and Policy Center conference this week, “California and AI,” panelists explored the policy implications of the transformative technology sweeping the globe and embraced by fields as diverse as medicine and hospitality.
Micheli Files
As I make my way through bills in the second house policy committee, I continue to run across interesting provisions contained in these bills. Here is a short explanation of some recent examples from 2025 bills that the “legislative geek” in me finds interesting.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary to Governor Gavin Newsom and head of the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs. Snider-Ashtari was first appointed to the position in 2018 by Governor Brown and previously served as Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission. We spoke to her about both governors’ approaches to Tribal policy, about the California Truth & Healing Council, and about the deep Native history on Alcatraz, which President Trump has suggested might be returned to use as a federal prison.
News
AB 1340 represents roughly a decade or more of work by labor in the state. Ever since Uber launched in 2009, there’s been an ongoing, global debate on whether rideshare drivers are indeed independent contractors, as claimed by the apps, or bona fide employees, as claimed by workers and labor advocates.
Dominique Donette, photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly. 
