News

Villaraigosa to announce political plans

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the 2009 opening of Madame Tussauds Hollywood. (Photo: Jaguar PS, via Shutterstock)

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, long viewed in the Capitol as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2018, said Tuesday that he will announce his political plans “within a few days” of the Nov. 8 election. He stopped short of making a formal announcement, but left little doubt about his plans. “I think everybody knows where it’s headed,” he said.

News

CA120: Tracking the absentee vote tracker

A street sign for voters. (Photo by Gustavo Frazao, via Shutterstock)

CA120: The 2016 General Absentee Vote Tracker is up, and over two million California voters have already returned their ballots. This year, a great deal of national attention is being paid to the rate of early voting, and politicos on both sides of the aisle are using this data to make predictions in the presidential, congressional and state contests.

News

California voters eye changing course on ‘English only’

A teacher writes on the blackboard in a class for English language learners. (Photo: Viacheslav Nikolaenko)

Proposition 58, titled the “English Proficiency, Multilingual Education” initiative, would repeal key provisions of Proposition 227 approved by voters in 1998. For instance, parents would no longer need to sign waivers to get into bilingual education programs. Schools could more easily institute bilingual programs.

News

PPIC: The battle over key props

A California ballot box. (Photo illustration, Hafakot, via Shutterstock)

The Public Policy Institute of California released a survey Wednesday night that, in addition to its examination of the U.S. Senate and presidential races, reported on the level of support for key ballot measures. The propositions require simple majorities to pass.

News

Local roads, streets in sorry shape

California motorists in a traffic jam. (Photo: Shutterstock)

California’s 143,000 miles of local streets and roads are deteriorating rapidly, and the average local thoroughfare across the state is rated “at risk” because of its poor physical condition, according to a study commissioned by a coalition of local governments and their allies. A mix of state, local and federal funds – about $1.98 billion annually – is provided for California’s streets and roads, but the minimal amount needed to maintain the existing quality is $3.5 billion.

News

Stem cell: A look at Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Examining a liquid nitrogen bank containing suspended stem cells. (Photo: Elena Pavolvich)

You might say it is a case of “self-control” involving the test of a stem cell therapy for an infamous and terrible disease. Not self-control in the usual sense, but in the sense of controls during a clinical trial for a treatment prior to its release to the general public.

News

Experts Expound: Is it Trump or Clinton?

(Ed’s Note: This installment of Experts Expound made it into our special print edition last month but, because of an editing error, it didn’t get posted online. So, belatedly, here it is.) —

“Who wins the presidential race, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, and why?”

Hillary Clinton, because getting venereal disease is better than getting

News

CA120: Crunching the poll numbers, big time

(Photo illustration: RedDaxLuma, via Shutterstock)

CA120: This month has seen the release of dozens of new public polls, ranging from the presidential contest to statewide and local races. We have seen many of these publicly available surveys, but the vast majority of polling is still private – done by candidates and political action committees. It is rarely shared with those outside a very small circle of candidates and consultants.

Analysis

CA120: Despite missteps, Trump’s backers stay faithful

GOP presidential contender Donald Trump at a rally in Boca Raton, Florida. ((Photo: Windover Way Photography)

We found that no matter what Trump has said – be it the sexually explicit and aggressive comments released before the second debate, or his statement in Wednesday’s third and final debate that he would not commit to accepting the result of the election – his support here in California has remained very consistent.

News

‘Special master’ appointed to eye State Bar

An attorney gives advice to a client via a cell phone. Photo: PhuShutter)

A special master has been named to ride herd on the State Bar’s request for money – a move that follows the Legislature’s unprecedented refusal to allow the bar to collect dues from thousands of attorneys. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye on Wednesday appointed appellate court Justice Elwood Lui of Los Angeles to examine the Bar’s funding request.

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