Rising gas prices. Image by wingedwolfOPINION – I believe in clean energy and responsible environmental policy. But California’s approach is punishing the very communities it claims to protect.
US 100 dollar bill as a bait. Image by Velishchuk. OPINION – Predatory lawsuit lenders exploit financial vulnerability, charging triple-digit interest while operating in the shadows of our civil justice system. These puppeteers pull the strings and call it “third-party litigation funding.” Victims call it a trap.
Sacramento lobbyist George Steffes.Longtime Capitol lobbyist and Reagan aide George Steffes has passed. He died at UCD Med Center after weeks of hospitalization after suffering a fall. He was 90.
California's historic Capitol dome. Image by :WallentineWe are marching quickly toward the Capitol’s summer recess, but we’re not there yet. This week’s Capitol Briefs are here.
Senator Scott Wiener delivers the Keynote at the California and AI conference on July 8, 2025. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol WeeklyAt the latest Capitol Weekly-University of California Student and Policy Center conference this week, “California and AI,” panelists explored the policy implications of the transformative technology sweeping the globe and embraced by fields as diverse as medicine and hospitality.
Image by ANAN YOSSINGKUM. OPINION – The Verified Emissions Reduction Association, or VERA, is a coalition of members with vast experience in achieving real, quantifiable, permanent, enforceable and addition emissions reductions in a cost-effective manner.
Image by hapabapaAs 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.
Image by dusanpetkovicOPINION – 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.
Image by VladTeodor. 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.
Ride share driver in car using the rideshare app in mobile phone. Image by Tero Vesalainen. 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.