Image by RawpixelIn the past, the California Legislature used conference committees as a part of the legislative process. However, despite extensive rules and procedures for their use that still exist today in the Joint Rules and the respective house rules, the conference committee in the California Legislature is largely nonexistent today.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, image via YouTubeOnce a major event on the legislative calendar, the governor’s annual State of the State address has become something of an afterthought in recent years under Gavin Newsom.
Image by Sonis PhotographyOPINION – California’s overdose crisis has ignited fear in the hearts of parents across the state. The thought of our youth being exposed to substances like fentanyl causes anxiety and concern. While Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health have taken steps to address the overdose crisis through the statewide standing order for naloxone, it’s clear that this alone is not sufficient.
Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button. Image via YouTubeKevin McCarthy is the Benjamin Button of California politics. Began his career as an adult. Ended it as a baby.
Image by Consolidated News PhotosWhen U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in late September, there was immediate speculation as to who Gov. Gavin Newsom would appoint to fill out much of the remainder of her term. But when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced today that he will be leaving Congress at the end of the year, the talk has all been about who will run in the special election to replace him. Wait. Why wouldn’t the governor appoint a temporary replacement for McCarthy too? Today, 37 states have opted to temporarily fill Senate vacancies through gubernatorial appointment. The remaining 13 have not taken that option; they may only fill vacancies through special elections, like in the House.
Title insurance, image by Maks_labOPINION – In this uncertain economic landscape, we are all feeling a strain on our wallets. In a misguided attempt to lower costs for some homebuyers, Fannie Mae is reportedly considering a new program that could prove to be harmful to homeowners in California and across the country.
Image by lenetstan via shutterstockA proposal moving its way through the Legislature seeks to eliminate Medicare in California and pave the way for massive tax increases on California workers and employers.
Image by PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek via ShutterstockCalifornia is planning for offshore wind power at a scale unprecedented anywhere else on earth.
Love her or hate her, former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer was one of the most influential and impactful politicians in California history. As such, when we sat down with her to conduct an oral history interview, we knew we needed someone as iconic as her to ask the questions. So we were thrilled to have the estimable Carla Marinucci of Politico do the honors.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks before the Democratic national summer meeting in San Francisco, 2019. (Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald, via Shutterstock)As Sala Burton lay dying in a hospital bed in 1987, she picked her successor to represent San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives. “I saw her gritting her teeth, you know, in pain,” her brother-in law, John Burton, recalled in an Open California oral history. “And she says… I want you, talking to us, to support Nancy for my seat.”