Posts Tagged: California
Micheli Files
As I make my way through bills in the second house policy committee, I continue to run across interesting provisions contained in these bills. Here is a short explanation of some recent examples from 2025 bills that the “legislative geek” in me finds interesting.
Opinion
OPINION – Los Angeles stands at a critical juncture. As the city recovers from devastating fires and prepares for a wave of national and international events, the demand for skilled workers will surge. These challenges offer a unique opportunity to drive innovation, equity, and economic success by tapping into an often-overlooked resource: the talents and experience of older adults.
Opinion
OPINION – AB 597, authored by Assemblymember Harabedian and now moving through the Legislature, would restrict the ability of wildfire survivors to hire public adjusters, professionals who work exclusively on behalf of policyholders to ensure they receive fair insurance payouts.
News
AB 1340 represents roughly a decade or more of work by labor in the state. Ever since Uber launched in 2009, there’s been an ongoing, global debate on whether rideshare drivers are indeed independent contractors, as claimed by the apps, or bona fide employees, as claimed by workers and labor advocates.
Opinion
OPINION – Migrants and immigrants aren’t some abstract political issue—they are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and our family.
Micheli Files
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. But while the Legislature may state the costs associated with a bill do not need to be reimbursed, it is actually the State Mandates Commission that decides the question.
Opinion
OPINION – As a climate scientist, I believe that the extension of cap-and-trade through 2045, including the continued use of offsets, is simply good policy.
Opinion
OPINION – The Trump Administration is waging a war – with military troops on the ground – on Los Angeles and the rest of California because we refuse to hand our migrant neighbors over to unidentifiable goons who spit on the Constitution and due process protections we are all afforded in this country. Amidst this climate, AB 379 will cause devastating and irreparable harm in our communities, especially among migrant sex workers and survivors.
Opinion
OPINION – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is reworking a proposal that would strengthen the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) – a policy designed to lower emissions from transportation fuels. The new rule will raise the state’s goal for reducing carbon emissions from 20% to 30% by 2030. Is this a big challenge? Damn right it is, but lives are at stake.
Capitol Briefs
It has been a big budget week, with lots of ups and downs. In today’s briefs we look at some of those as well as a few more happenings in and around the Capitol.