Analysis
ANALYSIS: The conventional wisdom says fuggedaboutit. Pundits, campaign managers, and the politicians themselves express doubt about the possibility. Not as much as previously, but still doubt. It might happen. And California could be in the middle of it all. We’re talking about a “brokered” convention.
Podcast
Capitol Weekly’s John Howard sits down with Scott Lay of the Nooner to chat about politics this week, with a look at the upcoming primaries in Nevada and South Carolina and what impact the death of Justice Antonin Scalia may have on the presidential race.
Analysis
As Capitol Weekly reported today, the November ballot is growing with seven measures already qualified, and another 66 in the wings. Most won’t qualify, so there is little reason to fear a 48-measure ballot like California saw in 1914. But we could near or exceed the modern high water mark of 29 on the 1988 Primary Election Ballot, and we will definitely exceed the average of 8.5 measures per ballot since 2000.
News
One thing about California’s lineup of looming ballot propositions: You can’t say they aren’t interesting. From school bonds to the environment to condoms to drugs to plastic bags, and more, voters already are set to vote on seven propositions on the November ballot. And many more are in the wings.
News
California’s stem cell agency has embarked on what is likely to be an exhaustive review of genetic alteration of human embryos with likely recommendations for changes in the $3 billion research effort. The 11-year-old agency plans to examine a host of issues ranging from inadvertent, inheritable changes in the human race to informed consent on the part of patients.
Podcast
In this week’s Capitol Weekly podcast, John Howard and Tim Foster chat about moves to unseat California Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester, the 43rd Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Council hearing at the Capitol this week and then take a look 3000 miles eastward to the New Hampshire primary Continue Reading »
News
For those attempting to oust Charles Lester, the executive director of the California Coastal Commission, the upcoming hearing is a referendum on his job performance. For the environmentalists who follow the commission, it’s a coup and an attempt to seize the upper hand in the power struggle between pro-development interests and an environmentalist staff that they believe has defined the commission since the reign of Peter Douglas.
News
Federal officials warned for years of “poor supervision” at a Southern California jail where three inmates — all charged with violent felonies — recently escaped, documents obtained by The Marshall Project show. The men’s elaborate route to freedom seemed made for the movies: They cut through layers of metal and navigated plumbing tunnels to reach the roof. They then rappelled down four stories with makeshift ropes, perhaps strung together from bedsheets or jail clothing.
Analysis
ANALYSIS: Nobody likes to feel like they are just a number. But to many modern campaigns, that’s exactly what we are. Whether we know it or not, the big campaigns for statewide ballot measures have assigned us a number. Ted Cruz has assigned us a number, and so have Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Podcast
Welcome to Round Three of the Capitol Weekly Podcast: Tim Foster and John Howard chat with veteran political strategist Hector Barajas, an expert on Latino politics and a person who is going to be very, very busy this year. Click here to listen in.
The Republican national convention in Cleveland's Public Auditorium in 1924. This year's GOP convention is in Cleveland, too. (Photo: Everett Historical, via Shutterstock)
