Capitol caucuses, image by Andrii Yalanskyi Both the Senate and Assembly have several caucuses beyond the main party caucuses: Rural Caucus, Latino Caucus, Jewish Caucus, Black Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, etc. But which wields the most power behind the scenes? We asked our experts to weigh in.
A single payer health care system is the Holy Grail for progressive Californians. But is it realistic or just a pipedream? We put the question to our experts.
Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter. Photo courtesy of the U.S. House of RepresentativesDianne Feinstein’s announcement she will not seek another term has sparked a furious three-way battle for the Democratic nomination to replace her. But is there a Republican dark horse in the mix? Or maybe even California Gov. Gavin Newsom? We asked our experts to weigh in.
CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, photo from his candidate websiteThe California insurance market is in flux. We asked our Experts to rate, on a scale of one to 10, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s handling of this situation so far.
Kamala Harris on a campaign swing in New Hampshire, 2019. (Photo: Maverick Pictures, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Well, here we are, just milliseconds after the 2022 mid-term elections, and the inevitable speculation has already begun about who will run for president two years hence. For Democrats, that conjecturing almost necessarily includes whether Kamala Harris will run if President Joe Biden chooses to stand down. It might be a moot point, because Biden has sworn he is planning to run again in 2024 at the ripe old age of 81 — and has let drop that First Lady Jill Biden has given her assent.
State controller candidate Lanhee Chen, center, speaking with potential voters. (Photo: Chen campaign committee)Lanhee Chen decided to become a Republican at age 10 after watching the 1988 presidential debate between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis. He has a vivid memory of watching Bush talk about “compassionate conservatism” and how important it is to encourage people to help one another. “Government is not the reflexive solution to everything,” said Chen, 44. “That was the vision.”
An image of a check issued by the state controller, an office currently held by Betty Yee. (Photo: Alex Millauer, via Shutterstock)OPINION: California’s long-suffering Republicans, now down to less than 24 percent of registered voters, haven’t prevailed in a statewide election since 2006. But like those kids in the well-known Christmas tale, every election cycle they have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.
San Francisco, USA. Sept. 14, 2021. California Governor Gavin Newsom, speaks to the press at a labor union event in San Francisco on Election Day, for the 2021 California gubernatorial recall electionOPINION: “Never strike a king unless you are sure you shall kill him,” Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in 1843. He couldn’t have foreseen the attempted recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom. But it is apropos: The recall not only failed miserably to yank Newsom from office, but actually immeasurably strengthened his political position.
Caitlyn Jenner, a candidate in the attempted recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, at a Hollywood event honoring actor Alec Baldwin. (Photo: Tinseltown, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Republican recall candidate John Cox, who Gavin Newsom demolished in the 2018 governor’s race, is so desperate he’s started campaigning with a 1,000-lb bear. But there’s a different animal stalking the campaign of Caitlyn Jenner. The elephant in the room — quite literally — with the Jenner candidacy is how willing Republican voters are to vote for a transgender person, famous or not.
A voter casts his ballot in a vote center at L.A.'s Pantages Theatre, Oct. 31, 2020. (Photo: Ringo Chiu, via Shutterstock)Democrats, who already enjoy an overwhelming lead in California voter registration, now have one more advantage over the state’s beleaguered Republicans. Political Data Inc., California’s preeminent firm supplying information to political types, has announced that it will henceforth only work for “progressives” and Democrats.