California State Capitol building in the warm light of the setting sun. Image by rschlieThis week was the legislative spring break so there’s not a lot to report on, but we do have a few nuggets for you…in brief.
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Support for The Micheli Minute is provided by The McGeorge School of Law Capital Center for
Image by romkaz. If a bill by Assemblymember Diane Dixon becomes law, tattoo artists would join a long list of professionals required to be trained in spotting signs of human trafficking, including first responders, healthcare workers, educators, hospitality staff, transportation workers, social workers and more.
Image by ismagilov. Faced with growing concerns that California’s higher education system is outdated and unresponsive to the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, lawmakers are considering more structural changes to the state Master Plan’s vision of university and college education.
The Langenhop family. Photo courtesy of the Langenhop family and the CIRM. After 21 years of “prospecting,” the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has fetched up its first “nugget” – federal approval of a one-and-done gene therapy for a life-threatening disease.
The California Assembly in session. Photo by APOn occasion, if you listen to the proceedings on the Floor of the California State Assembly, you may hear either a legislator seeking “permission to read on the Floor,” or you might hear a legislator raise a point of order that a colleague is reading on the Floor. What is the basis for either of these two statements?
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Membership in California labor unions grew by over 100,000 members between 2024 and 2025. Our guest today is one of the reasons for those gains. Former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez is the President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, which is made up of more than 1,300 unions, representing 2.3 million members. We spoke with Gonzalez about the status of the labor movement, the threat – and opportunities – of AI, and the impact of Cesar Chavez’ sudden downfall.
Big City Mayors coalition. Photo by Robin Swanson. Next week is Spring Break so this week was busier than usual. Here is our Capitol Briefs roundup of a few of the things we found notable around the Capitol.
Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.
Jacqui Nguyen. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly. In the dark of night shortly before the 1975 fall of Saigon, three-year-old Jacqui Nguyen fled Vietnam on a crowded boat with her parents, her six-month-old brother and nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Today, Nguyen works as communications director for Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach). Her path — from refugee to reporter to Capitol staffer — shapes how she does the job and how she understands what’s at stake.