CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: With nearly five decades of advocacy under his belt, there are only a handful of people who have lobbied in Sacramento longer than John Norwood. A lawyer as well as a lobbyist, Norwood has earned a reputation as a hard worker and a straight shooter. We asked him about the changes he’s seen, and the biggest challenges facing California.
With news that actor Alec Baldwin will face two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the death of a cinematographer on the set of his film “Rust,” Democratic state Sen. Dave Cortese of San Jose has vowed to reintroduce legislation to establish rules for using guns in movies.
Come March 28, Vito Imbascani is scheduled to be sworn in as the new chairman of the $12 billion California stem cell agency – an 18-year-old state program to develop revolutionary treatments for such things as brain and blood cancers, heart disease, diabetes, sickle cell disease, spina bifida, incontinence, blindness, arthritis, HIV, stroke, epilepsy and much more.
Gov. Newsom, from his Facebook page.POLITICAL PULSE: In the wake of two mass shootings that claimed the lives of 18 people and left ten others wounded, Gov. Newsom, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and other legislative leaders – and gun safety advocates – will announce new efforts to advance gun safety legislation.
Roger Niello in his office. Photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyWhen Roger Niello left the California Assembly in 2010, he figured his time in elected office had run its course. After all, the year before he had committed the most unforgivable of sins for a Republican of the day: He was among six of his fellow GOP colleagues who voted for a budget that included tax hikes, drawing the wrath of his party’s most vocal anti-tax contingent.
Crime scene photoCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: In the wake of the horrific January 21 shooting that killed 11 people in Monterey Park, Gov. Newsom visited hospitalized survivors. His conversation with one patient revealed an added stress for survivors of gun violence and other violent crime: the inability to cover expenses incurred or wages lost due to the incident.
According to a statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, 69 percent of those polled – 71 percent of likely voters – say bad times lie ahead. That represents a pessimism jump of 17 points from November of 2021.
One method to help ascertain the legislative intent behind a specified measure is a letter that is published in the Assembly Daily Journal or the Senate Daily Journal by the bill’s author. These letters, for which there are many each year, may be used by the bill’s author to explain an ambiguity in the bill or explain the purpose of particular changes in the law as done by the bill.
Image via Istock. used with permissonCalifornia prison spending for 2023-24 in the proposed $297 billion state budget is up to $14.5 billion – even as the prisoner population drops.
Dan Morain and Richard Polanco; image from the Oral History.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Richard Polanco is the subject of a new video Oral History conducted by Journalist and author Dan Morain, who covered Polanco’s career for the Los Angeles Times. Morain joined Capitol Weekly’s Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about Polanco’s career and legacy as the man who is credited as the architect of Latino power in the capitol.