Posts Tagged: Feinstein

State librarian hunts dollars in DC

State Librarian Greg Lucas. (Photo: California State Library)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 03.16.2017

Prying funds out of the Trump administration may not be easy, but California State Librarian Greg Lucas is giving it a shot. And not just for California. Amid heavy snows and the unveiling of President Trump’s first budget, Lucas went to Washington this week to urge Congress to double the funding for the nation’s public libraries to $300 million, including the more than 1,100 libraries in California.

Center stage: California’s economic complexity

Illustration: David Carilett, via Shutterstock.

by LENNY MENDONCA and PETER WEBER posted 12.08.2016

California will soon have a population of 40 million. It is a huge, diverse, complex state — really more of a nation-state made of distinct regions. And California’s economy is equally complex. In fact, it’s not a state economy at all, but a series of regional economies. Californians know that the time to fix our state’s economy is now. People from every region are standing up and demanding change.

Check it out: The state Democratic convention

A view of the main floor at the state Democratic Party convention in San Jose. (Photo: Alvin Chen/Capitol Weekly)

by CHUCK MCFADDEN posted 02.29.2016

First, take 3,000 political junkies, mix in a few dozen ambitious politicians, stir thoroughly. Let simmer for three days and — Whee! — you have California’s Democratic Party Convention. It was an earnest carnival reflecting what makes California politics so much fun.

Criminal justice, sentencing reforms gain traction

An inmate gestures through the bars of his prison cell. (Photo: Sakhorn, Shutterstock)

by SAMANTHA GALLEGOS posted 04.27.2015

For decades, Californians and their representatives in the state Capitol had a “lock-‘em-up-and-throw-away-the-key” approach to lawbreakers. But that view is changing. Following years of a steadily increasing prison population and some communities repeatedly being devastated by crime, public discussion has shifted in part toward reforming law enforcement’s approach to crime prevention.

Boxer’s exit puts SCN consultants at center stage

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, speaking to her grandson, announced Thursday on YouTube that she won't seek a fifth term. (Photo: Screen capture, YouTube)

by SAMANTHA GALLEGOS posted 01.08.2015

Ready, set, run! A firestorm of political speculation erupted Thursday across California after U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer announced she wouldn’t seek a fifth term, a move that prompted a close look at California’s new open primary. Two top contenders — Attorney General Kamala Harris and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom — are represented by the same consultants, SCN. Things are getting interesting.

Under the radar: Resentencing prison inmates

Inmates in a crowded area at the state prison in Lancaster, Los Angeles County. (Photo: Associated Press)

by DOROTHY MILLS-GREGG posted 11.03.2014

The statewide battle in the airwaves over Tuesday’s ballot propositions has been dominated by health insurance regulation, water works and drug testing doctors, but one measure that would have a far-reaching effect on judicial policy is flying under the radar. Proposition 47 would resentence thousands of California prison inmates imprisoned for nonserious or nonviolent crimes.

Low turnout waits in the wings

Ventura County voters go to the polls in a California general election. (Photo: Spirit of America)

by BOB MULHOLLAND posted 07.30.2014

OPINION: I now believe the turnout this November will be closer to 45% than 50%. In the previous 8 governor primaries (1982-2010) the average turnout was 39.2% and in those eight General Elections the average turnout was 59.0%, thus, on average an increase of 19.8% from the Primary to the General.

Among the findings: Dianne Feinstein’s approval ratings are on the decline and rank among the lowest she’s received in her 20 years in office. Barbara Boxer’s positives are on the rise. Meanwhile, more than four out of five Californians disapprove of the job Congress is doing, which is close to a record.