Posts Tagged: communication

Capitol Spotlight

Capitol Spotlight: Cynthia Moreno, Press Secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas

Cynthia Moreno, photo by Scott Duncan Photography

When she was working as a journalist, Cynthia Moreno rejected the possibility of ever working in government communications. When the idea was suggested to her, it was a “hard no,” she said. “That’s the dark side,” she thought. But today, she is Press Secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas and considers it a dream job – one of the best positions she’s ever had.

Micheli Files

Practical tips for working with Finance

Cooperation image by metamorworks

MICHELI FILES: In talking with former staff from the Department of Finance (DOF) the past few weeks, the following are the key practical tips that were shared with me for those working with the staff members of the Governor’s Finance Department. While some of these recommendations may seem obvious, many of them bear repeating.

Opinion

Congenital syphilis, although 100% preventable, is a health crisis

A billboard at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Photo: lofti photography, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The U.S. is currently facing a public health crisis — one that is on the rise at an alarming rate, has devastating consequences, and is 100% preventable. And that’s congenital syphilis (CS). Mothers with syphilis can transmit it to their babies during pregnancy or at birth. Approximately 40% of babies born to patients with untreated syphilis are stillborn or die from the infection as a newborn.

News

State stem cell agency follows the money — $5.5 billion

A pipette and receptacles used in stem cell research. (Photo: CI Photos)

The talk at the California stem cell agency this week was of ”boiling the ocean,” the meaning of “unlikely” and “DEI.” All of which involves how $5.5 billion in taxpayer dollars will be used over the next decade or so.

News

What happens when the next big wildfire hits?

Fire safety has suddenly become far more politically fraught and expensive. Here, firefighters respond to 2017 Ponderosa Fire. Photo courtesy of Cal Fire. (Photo: CalFire, via CALmatters)

Don’t be fooled by the precipitation, the snowpack, the wildflowers. When winter ends, it’s unlikely that California’s iconic landscape will sustain the moisture to withstand the 100-degree summer and fall. California has yet to recover from the 5-year drought that began in 2012. For four years, record wildfires have ravaged the state, including the Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma in 2017 and the Camp Fire last year that wiped out the town of Paradise in Butte County.

News

California eyes federal ‘Super PACs’

Money in the halls of power. (Illustration: Kentoh)

FollowTheMoney: California established a separate classification for federal Super PACs to better facilitate disclosure of activities in state elections. Once a Super PAC raises $2,000 or more to influence a race for state office, it must file reports with the state that clearly identify both the funding behind the activity as well as detailed information about the specific political activity.

Opinion

Better telecom rules help older adults, too

Using a cell phone at a California beach to capture an image of a pier. (Photo: DCornelius, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The conventional wisdom, promoted by some advocacy groups when it suits their purposes, is that seniors are sad, helpless creatures who prefer to sit on the couch clutching their turntables and rotary phones, in front of black and white television sets, searching for reruns of Lawrence Welk. These demeaning attitudes are far from true.

News

Coastal Commission fires executive director

The California coast along Redwood National Park, north Humboldt County, (Photo: Don Forthuber, redwoods.info)

MORRO BAY, Calif. – The California Coastal Commission fired Executive Director Charles Lester late Wednesday, after several commissioners complained about a lack of communication from Lester and the staff. The action, a 7-5 vote by the 12-member commission, was taken publicly following a discussion behind closed doors.

News

State government’s anti-secrecy law under scrutiny

Clean-energy advocates demonstrate on the steps of the state Public Utilities Commission, which is covered by the anti-secrecy law known as the Bagley-Keene Act.

A California law intended to block secret decisions in the state bureaucracy actually prevents officials from talking to each other on crucial matters, according to their testimony before a state investigative panel. The issue, which intensified in the wake of recent activities at the California Public Utilities Commission, arises from changes in the 1967 Bagley-Keene Act, which is intended to assure the public’s access to the actions of state boards and commissions.

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