Micheli Files
Overview of the California rulemaking process
Image by Vitalii VodolazskyiCalifornia has over 200 State agencies, departments, boards, and commissions that make public policy through their authority to adopt regulations.
Posts Tagged: California
Image by Vitalii VodolazskyiNews
Kudos, criticism mark California stem cell agency as it turns 20
Scientist performing stem cell research for cancer therapy. Image by ManjurulCalifornia’s $12 billion stem cell experiment turned 20 years old this fall, winning kudos from some patients and scientists but failing to fulfill the expectations of voters who thought they had created an enterprise that would lead quickly to revolutionary cures for cancer, heart disease, stroke and much more.
Opinion
A critical time for CA’s master plan for developmental services
Image by Tatsiana HancharovaOPINION – As the next Master Plan for Developmental Services Committee meeting convenes on December 11, it’s a critical time to remind policymakers, the administration, key agencies, and stakeholders of the importance of developing and implementing the Master Plan in a way that prioritizes meeting the unique needs of 450,000 Californians with developmental disabilities.
Micheli Files
Overview of local and state open meetings laws in California
California State Capitol dome at dusk. Image by WallentineCalifornia has three types of open meetings laws that apply to local and state governmental entities. These laws, adopted over the years, apply to state agencies and departments, the Legislature, and local entities (including city councils and boards of supervisors).
Capitol Briefs
Capitol Briefs: And they’re off.
Assembly swearing-in, photo by Rich Ehisen, Capitol WeeklyThe 2025-2026 legislative session kicked off on Monday with the swearing in of lawmakers old and new. Both chambers then adjourned until Jan. 6, 2025. In this edition of Capitol Briefs we share a few tidbits from Monday’s festivities.
News
Rising Stars: Katie Van Deynze of Health Access
Katie Van Deynze. Image by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly. When Katie Van Deynze talks about healthcare policy, people listen. At 29 years old, she serves as Senior Legislative Advocate at Health Access California, where she has established herself as a trusted voice in the Capitol community.
Opinion
Education leaders should lean in to lessons from the pandemic
Image by Vepar5OPINION – For many schools, the pandemic created a critical need for greater flexibility, focusing more on the needs of individual students, creating education delivery options beyond the classroom, and offering access to resources that were more relevant to student life skills and needs.
Letters
Letter to the editor: Prop 2 a forward thinking investment in school infrastructure
Californians recently passed Proposition 2, a much-needed and forward-thinking investment in our public school infrastructure that will benefit K-12 schools and community colleges.
Micheli Files
Properly addressing the presiding officer of a legislative body
Image by cagkansayinThere are two areas of confusion regarding properly addressing the presiding officer of a legislative committee or on the floor. The rules of the California Legislature provide some guidance, as do Mason’s Legislative Manual.
News
Why legislators want more options than aye, no or not voting
Former California Assemblymember Adam Gray. Photo by AP. Legislators in both parties openly admit they frequently don’t vote on bills not because they’re lazy, but because “no” votes are taken personally by their colleagues. But because the “no vote recorded” category encompasses multiple behaviors, there’s a quiet push to change the way votes are recorded to include at least one other category, abstention.