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.
Electricity from solar panels, dams, and wind turbines. Environmentally-friendly renewable energy concept.OPINION – As California looks to continue its bold leadership in climate action and clean energy development, we need new solutions that enable the state to meet its ambitious clean energy goals while keeping rates affordable for Californians.
Image by Andrii YalanskyiIn recent years, Capitol observers have witnessed vacancies occur in state legislative offices and even constitutional offices in California. What is the process for filling vacancies in the California Legislature? What is the process for filling vacancies in constitutional offices?
Image by WirestockOPINION – The return of Donald Trump to the White House magnifies all the threats that make voter-approved Proposition 4 necessary, increases the likelihood of poisoned air and water and runaway climate change, and destroys the hope that the federal government will help California navigate those challenges in the next four years.
Image by nd3000OPINION – Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) play an indispensable role in California’s health care system, particularly for underserved and rural communities where anesthesia access is critical, yet limited. For decades, California CRNAs have independently provided safe, cost-effective, and patient-centered anesthesia care—a policy reinforced by state statute and upheld by court rulings and regulatory guidance.
L-R: Marva Diaz, Marva Diaz Strategies; Laurel Rosenhall of the Los Angeles Times; Paul Mitchell, Political Data Intelligence; and Kristin Olsen-Cate, California Strategies; Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California; Thad Kousser, UC San Diego; Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol WeeklyOn Nov. 7th Capitol Weekly and the UC Student and Policy Center hosted a post-mortem of the 2024 election that featured three issue-specific panels conducted over Zoom and a live keynote panel. All featured some of the brightest and most experienced political minds in California. The story below features a very brief overlook of each
Image by ohmygoucheSpecial interest groups, or “lobbyist employers” as they’re known in the parlance of the California Secretary of State’s office, paid lobbying firms more than $84 million to lobby members of California’s state government in the third quarter of 2024, the most of any quarter thus far during the 2023-24 legislative cycle, according to a Capitol Weekly analysis of lobbying firm reports.
Image by PeopleImagesOPINION – Most policy discussions about improving health care in California start with talking about “access” – the lower the costs, and the more people cared for…the better. But that plan only works if, alongside access, quality of care improves with it.
Photo via Lanterman HouseFrank Lanterman won an assembly seat in 1950 with one goal: securing a steady water supply for his family’s land holdings and subdivisions in the Verdugo hills community of La Cañada outside Los Angeles, a task he completed in his first year in office. In the years to come, his influence would expand far beyond his hometown and he would become one of the most consequential legislators of his time by leading the effort to transform how California cares for people with severe mental illness.
Image by Arseniy45OPINION – Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris sits in the Oval Office in 2025, one thing is certain: California’s influence on U.S. climate policy will continue. The state, long a trailblazer in environmental regulation, is setting a blueprint for national policy.