A physician prepares a syringe for use. (Photo: Shutterstock)The results of a presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump has some in a panic. And with GOP majorities in both houses of Congress, Trump presumably can do just about anything. But California health advocates are not talking about abandoning the state’s healthcare system. They’re preparing for a fight.
Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data, Inc. (Photo: Tim FosterCapitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster take the Podcast over to their home away from home — Naked Coffee — for a chat with data whiz and CA120 columnist Paul Mitchell. Paul expands on the ideas in his latest column, breaks down California’s vote in 2016 (now that the final numbers are in) and offers his thoughts on what’s in store for 2018 and beyond.
Presidential contender Donald Trump speaks at a Costa Mesa rally on May 25. (Photo: Mike LeDray)The fact is, he won. He tweeted and bragged and insulted his way into the White House while Democrats talked about 23-point plans and fumed. Politicians, despite the beliefs of many Americans, are not stupid They saw what happened. So now the question that may soon to be bandied about in offices in and around the Capitol is this: in the light of Donald Trump’s victory, will California campaigns now begin to look Trumpesque?
Throat cancer patient Karl Trede, who was treated with the "eat me" protein therapy. (Photo: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine)In an emotion-choked session, the mother of a six-year-old girl thanked California’s stem cell agency for saving the life of her daughter. “Thank you for keeping my family complete,” said Alysia Padilla-Vaccaro, her voice cracking as she spoke to the governing board of the $3 billion California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is formally known.
A devastated zone in San Bruno following the 2010 gas pipeline explosion. (Photo: Brocken Inaglory)Six years after the devastating San Bruno natural gas pipeline blast led to the deaths of eight people, the California Public Utilities Commission has not been held accountable for what elected officials say was its role in the tragedy. State Sen. Jerry Hill, Assemblyman Kevin Mullin and San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane are trying to change that.
Illustration: Quentin Lueninghoener, FairWarningFairWarning: The formula has turned the firm, now named Exponent, Inc., into a publicly traded giant in litigation defense and regulatory science. It’s a go-to destination for major industries with liability problems – even as it is derided by critics as a hired gun whose findings are for sale.
The Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey face off. (Illustration, Victor Moussa/Shutterstock)With a flood of expected gubernatorial candidates on the Democratic side, and a lack of Republican candidates lining up for 2018, many are convinced that we are headed for another Democratic intraparty runoff. So, again, it is prediction time. And again, I will go with the math and say the general election of the 2018 governor’s race will follow tradition and feature a Democrat versus Republican.
Pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators clash at a May 27 rally in San Diego. (Photo: Chad Zuber)Any hope that California would soon settle into some sort of accommodation with a Trump Administration is fading rapidly. During the past two weeks, this happened: President-elect Donald Trump named Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as his choice to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the federal enforcer of rules governing clean air, clean water, toxics cleanup and other chores. The choice of Pruitt, an energy industry supporter who is skeptical of the impacts of climate change and has sued the EPA over the years, sparked outrage from environmentalists across the country, especially in California.
A tiny sampling of the books on Greg Schmidt's home shelves.The California State Library is setting up a special collection in honor of Gregory Schmidt, the long-time ranking Senate staffer who died of cancer at the age of 69. State Librarian Greg Lucas said in an email that the Greg Schmidt Collection on Political Leadership will include “any number of books, articles, movies, podcasts, lectures and case studies besides those in Greg’s personal library that inform today’s political leaders.”
A research scientist on the job in a laboratory. (Photo: Anyaivanova, via ShutterstockAfter a hiccup last month, the California stem cell agency this week coughed up $15 million for a quartet of researchers looking into Alzheimer’s disease, cartilage repair, arthritis and sickle cell disease, but not before lopping off a big chunk of one proposal.