Hector Barajas, expert on California Latino politics and a veteran campaign consultant. (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)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.
GOP Assembly members, from left, James Gallagher, Shannon Grove, Ling Ling Chang and Marie Waldron confer prior to a recent budget vote. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)The California Legislature faces a lengthy to-do list for the final days of this year’s session and little time to get it done. In what promises to be one the busiest sessions in recent memory, the lawmakers convene Monday and finish by midnight on Sept 11. In addition, Gov. Jerry Brown has called two special sessions to deal with transportation and health care costs.
Giant crane handles a ship's cargo at the Port of Long Beach. (Photo:From Humboldt Bay in the north to San Diego in the south, California’s 11 ports generate more than $40 billion in annual economic activity. The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles provide most of it — together, they represent the nation’s largest cargo container port and the world’s sixth busiest harbor. But new pressures, including a revamped Panama Canal, are clouding California’s picture. (Photo: Port of Long Beach)