Judy Yee, photo by Scott Duncan photographyJudy Yee, legislative director for Assemblymember Luz Rivas, isn’t just focused on her own career. She is looking to lift up those who have come behind her.
Phil Isenberg, screencapture of a video.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Former legislator Phil Isenberg died last week after a brief illness. Isenberg wore many hats: Mayor of Sacramento, Assemblymember, Vice Chair of the Delta Stewardship Council, and husband to Marilyn Araki Isenberg. Dan Morain covered Isenberg for decades and joined us to look at Isenberg’s career and his impact on California.
Shutterstock - Siker StockCalifornia lawmakers could be among the next to ban the social media app Tik Tok.
A harvester in a drought-stricken field of northern California. (Photo: TFoxFoto, via Shutterstock)Planted in spring, farmers drain their fields in August, and they drive big, loud harvesters into them in September, gently separating the rice stalks from the grain, and blowing the harvest into bankout wagons that they tow beside them. On average, each acre produces 8,000 pounds of rice, which is a greater yield than most of the world’s rice growing regions. But this September, 300,000 of California’s 550,000 acres of rice lay barren—over half the state’s rice crop.
An electric vehicle getting power at a street charging station. (Photo: guteksk7, via Shuttertstock)California lawmakers have approved a dramatic expansion of the state’s commitments to all-electric vehicles, with the goal of ultimately increasing the number of electric and zero-emission cars on the road. The $2.7 billion piece of the 2021-22 state budget was sent to the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk on June 28. Newsom has not yet acted on it.
A skateboarder in action. (Photo: Shawn Henry)Shelter-in-place has pushed consumers of varying ages to skateboarding in unprecedented numbers, creating a dramatic increase in participation and sales. Unfortunately, California’s COVID-19 regulations limiting public gatherings have also slowed the manufacturing and distribution of skateboard equipment, causing historic supply disruptions.
Testing cosmetics on a laboratory rabbit. (Photo: Artfully Photographer, via Shutterstock)Animal-rights activists are heralding 2020 as a groundbreaking year because of a new, unprecedented state law that cracks down on cosmetics testing on animals. It takes effect Jan. 1, and will outlaw the importation for profit or sale most of the cosmetics tested on animals in California.
Soft drinks in plastic containers for sale at a Montebello, Calif., store. (Photo: Philip Pilosian, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Like a lighthouse, California has been a beacon of 21st-century environmental policy, pushing the limits of the impossible by setting ambitious, yet attainable goals for the state and its residents and businesses to work toward a healthier future. So ambitious, in fact, that one major goal, California’s 75% recycling goal, is set to be achieved by 2020.
Windmills generate electricity in Palm Springs. (Photo: Chris Rubino)OPINION: Clean energy is taking over the world, driven by a combination of climate change policies and market economics. California has paced America in seizing this opportunity, building a thriving green economy through smart policy. But the fate of California’s cap-and-trade program, a cornerstone of the state’s green growth strategy, depends on the state Legislature extending the program beyond 2020
A street scene in crowded, affluent San Francisco. (Photo: ChameleonsEye, via Shutterstock)“These are the progressive policies that have made California the sixth largest economy on planet Earth,” De León said. We won’t wade into the debate over whether progressive or other policies have positioned the state’s economy on such a high perch. But we will examine the provocative “sixth largest economy on planet Earth” claim by itself.