A vendor hawking buttons, stickers at the Callfornia Republican Party convention. (Photo: Serla Rusli)Judy DeVries was in her car when she heard the surprise news that Ted Cruz had selected Carly Fiorina as his running mate. She knew immediately what she had to do. “We’re like ‘Oh my goodness, we have a VP,” she said. “We need to make buttons!”
In this 1974 photo, AP reporter Doug Willis, left, talks with then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. (AP Photo)Doug Willis, who for decades covered California politics for the Associated Press from his perch in Sacramento, was an amazing man – funny, balanced, sane, profoundly accurate, detail savvy and unflappable. He died Dec. 15 at the age of 77. He was my political mentor, friend and boss, hiring me in 1980 to come to Sacramento as news editor. I saw the move as a chance to report on state politics and learn from a master. I did both for 21 years.
Local homebrew festivals are back on tap for California in 2015. A law approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor this week makes it legal, once again, for homebrewing associations to host homebrew events in California.