Posts Tagged: Congress

News

Really folks, redistricting isn’t all that confusing

A map illustration of some cities, counties in California. (Photo: Kent Weakley, via Shutterstock)

“Why is this so hard?” That’s what Matt Rexroad, owner of Redistricting Insights, tweeted repeatedly when he saw news that downtown Sacramento City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela faced a recall from residents of the uptown neighborhoods in East Sacramento. The problem: It wouldn’t be a legal recall.  But confusion over that fact seemed to drag on for weeks.

News

Hugely expensive ballot fight looms over gambling

Dealing the cards at a casino gaming table. (Photo: Nejron Photo, via Shutterstock)

Californians, given the chance, would wager hundreds of millions of dollars a year on sporting events, say analysts, and that golden potential is luring gaming tribes, card rooms and online sportsbooks to the November ballot.

Opinion

Fights over climate change, redistricting at critical stage

Sunset and silhouette of a joshua tree in Joshua Tree National Park. (Photo: Sean Lema, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: This month is a pivotal moment in the fight against the climate crisis. On the table is the single largest government investment in U.S. history to support our transition to clean energy, improve our drinking water systems, mitigate the impacts of wildfire on our state, and much more. 

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Redistricting, a resignation and the recall

We’re joined today by Matt Rexroad, redistricting expert and the former mayor of Woodland and member of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Rexroad offers his thoughts on the upcoming congressional reapportionment, the abrupt resignation of Daniel Claypool, the executive director of the Redistricting Commission and the likelihood of success for the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Opinion

Health care challenge: Helping patients suffering chronic pain

A hospital patient experiencing pain . (Photo: jeep5d, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Although science and innovation are the cornerstones of the California economy, patients living with chronic pain have been largely left behind when it comes to significant medical breakthroughs. Beyond opioids, which can be effective but are also addictive, the choices that patients have available to treat pain remain limited to non-clinical options that only provide so much relief.

Opinion

Locals, feds stepping up to confront homelessness emergency

Homeless encampments along the Ocean Front Walk in Venice, Calif. (Photo: Luis A Chavez, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: After living on the streets of Venice for many months, Morris celebrated his 77th birthday in a motel room, thanks to the dedication of outreach workers at St. Joseph Center and a room made available through Project Roomkey. The COVID-19 pandemic removed many bureaucratic obstacles, including opportunities for opponents to halt such projects, that have impeded other homeless housing programs.

Opinion

Fight climate change, preserve nature in one stroke

The forest and fog of Humboldt County. (Photo: Ethan Daniels, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: This week, Governor Newsom announced a first-in-the-nation pledge to protect 30% of the state’s land and water by 2030. This historic executive order will require significant conservation action from our leaders. Thankfully, numerous Members of Congress are currently working to pass legislation to protect critical public lands and waters across the state which would help California meet our new “30×30” target.

News

California ramps up census push in final hours

An illustration of the 2020 census. (Image: Maria Dryfout, via Shutterstock)

California launched an aggressive push through Thursday night to bolster its tally, immediately following a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking the count. “We’re pulling out all the stops,” said Ditas Katague, director of California Complete Count, the state’s census office.

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Redistricting Commission’s representation problem

Detail of an antique California Bear Flag handerkerchief with detailed Grizzly Bear. Photo by the Bear Flag Museum

California’s Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission is generally regarded as a model of its kind, achieving balance and representation through a carefully constructed mix of quotas, political gamesmanship and random selection. How then, did the first round of new commissioners selected on July 2 (eight of a total of 14) fail to include a single Latino, the state’s largest ethnic group?

News

Newsom: More than half in CA face coronavirus infection

Illustration of the coronavirus impact on California. (Image: bekulnis, via Shutterstock)

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday estimated that more than half of California’s 40 million people will be infected by the coronavirus during the next two months. “We project that roughly 56 percent of our population … will be infected with the virus over an eight-week period,” Newsom wrote in a letter to President Donald Trump.

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