Posts Tagged: Capitol

News

Assembly Speaker Rendon pitches the big tent

Newly installed Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon talks to reporters. (Photo: Speaker's office)

New Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon doesn’t believe the emergence of a less-liberal, more pro-business wing of his big Democratic caucus is going to set off a high-visibility war among Democrats. “I don’t know if the party has ever been monolithic,” Rendon said in a telephone interview. “We’ve always been a big-tent party, with a diversity of viewpoints reflecting the diversity of California.”

News

A Capitol dispute over disclosure

A photo illustration of an ad campaign program on a laptop. (Photo: Tashatuvango, via Shutterstock)

California’s political watchdog, which fights to reveal the political money trail, is opposing legislation that appears to do exactly that. The Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces campaign rules, has come out against two bills aimed at disclosure.

News

Boom looms for state office construction

The state Capitol in Sacramento, viewed from 10th Street toward the West Steps.(Photo: Timothy Boomer)

Build it and they will come. A surge in state government office construction looms for downtown Sacramento, including the replacement or renovation of the Capitol’s 64-year-old annex.

Podcast

Capitol Weekly podcast

Jim Heerwagen, left, and Shane McCloud, of Voters Right to Know. (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)

Voters Right to Know, a reform group seeking political transparency, has dropped a bid to qualify a constitutional amendment guaranteeing public access to campaign finance information. Instead, the group is backing a new bill, SB 1349 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, that would improve Californians’ access to campaign data. Jim Heerwagen, a leader of the group, and campaign manager Shane McLoud stopped by Capitol Weekly’s office to talk about the new strategy.

Podcast

Capitol Weekly podcast: Scott Lay

Capitol Weekly’s John Howard sits down with Scott Lay of the Nooner to chat about politics this week, with a look at the upcoming primaries in Nevada and South Carolina and what impact the death of Justice Antonin Scalia may have on the presidential race.

Podcast

The Capitol Weekly Podcast with Hector Barajas

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

Podcast

Capitol Weekly starts regular podcast: Episode 1

Photo by Tim Foster/Capitol Weekly

Political junkies lend us your ears: Capitol Weekly has always taken care of its readers, of course, but now we’re taking care of our listeners, too. We’ve started a weekly podcast.

News

Politically, 2015 is a wrap — almost

California presented in the colors of the state's official flag. (Photo: Savelyev, Shutterstock)

It was, as always, a mixture of hope and disappointment, deals made and unmade, the bizarre and the mundane. For the Capitol community, 2015 was also a year of anticipation. Initiative creators were busy in 2015. The latest available figures tell us that 63 initiatives and referenda have been cleared for circulation by the Secretary of State’s office. Not all of them will make it to the Nov. 8 ballot, but four have already, including a proposal to overturn the state’s ban on plastic bags.

News

Daily fantasy sports: skill or luck?

An illustration of an online dashboard for a participant in daily fantasy sports, which is growing in popularity.(Illustration: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)

Daily fantasy sports: What started as a seasonal pastime in offices around America has morphed into a daily, multibillion-dollar business, fueled by national TV advertising and the internet. Unlike the traditional office pool, DFS offers same-day cash rewards to winners – a big incentive. And, in California as in most states, it’s not gambling.

News

Prescription for health care system — money, flexibility

State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, discusses health care issues. (Photo: Scott Duncan/Capitol Weekly)

Experts in California health care agree: The present system is unsustainable. It needs more money and flexibility. But that’s where agreement ends. There are conflicting ideas about where the money should come from and where it should go.

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