Image by OPINION – California has experienced an alarming decline in available dollars for the Crime Victims Fund. These sharp drops in funding for California nonprofits will directly result in victims of crime not being able to access much-needed services.
Image by Maliutina AnnaOPINION – Families across California experienced a decline in violence and poverty in the wake of COVID-19, but according to the Public Policy Institute of California, the rate of poverty has since grown from 11.7% in 2021 to 13.2% in 2023.
Phil Isenberg, photo courtesy of the Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaPhil Isenberg, a former Sacramento mayor and one of the most influential Democratic members of the Assembly in the 1980s and 1990s, died Thursday after a short illness. He was 84.
Cooperation image by metamorworksMICHELI FILES: In talking with former staff from the Department of Finance (DOF) the past few weeks, the following are the key practical tips that were shared with me for those working with the staff members of the Governor’s Finance Department. While some of these recommendations may seem obvious, many of them bear repeating.
Energy transition, image by Olivier Le MoalOPINION – In the coming years, we will learn whether California’s government, led by Newsom, will seize the moment to demonstrate the first fully funded, equitable transition off fossil fuels like oil and gas. If we do it right, workers will be the designers and implementers, and will have access to good-paying, union jobs for the long-haul.
California bill volume, image by create jobs 51The California Legislature has a combined 55 standing committees, with 33 in the Assembly and 22 in the Senate. There were 2,661 bills introduced during the 2023 Legislative Session. Those standing committees, and their hardworking consultants (along with their minority party counterparts), reviewed and analyzed thousands of bills during the past two years.
The following
Climate education, image by LightspringOPINION – People need to be convinced that a future in which their cars, houses, stoves, and garden equipment run on electricity – and that they will need to live sustainably – will not mean a decline in their quality of life. That’s why California should mandate climate change education in grades K-12 right now.
California law, image by Vitalii VodolazskyiANALYSIS – One of the controversial occurrences during the annual California Legislative Session is so-called “gut-and-amend” bills, or replacing the bill’s contents with a subject which is entirely unrelated to the original contents of the bill. Such amendments raise the legislative issue of “germaneness,” which refers to whether a proposed amendment is relevant to the subject matter currently contained in the measure.
Chris HoeneCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Facing the first deficit in a decade, legislators finished hammering out a Budget deal with the governor this week. Our guest today is Chris Hoene, Executive Director of the California Budget & Policy Center. Hoene has been a Budget-watcher for decades, and helps us dig into the new Budget Deal.
Image by Oscar Moncho via ShutterstockIn lean budget times like this year, state leaders must make difficult choices about what programs and projects to fund, and what is on the chopping block.