Posts Tagged: government

News

Legislators debate retail theft, fentanyl, Prop. 47 at Capitol Weekly crime conference

Prop. 47 co-author Lenore Anderson speaks at Capitol Weekly's Conference on Crime. Moderator Emily Hoeven, left; Sheriff Jim Cooper, right. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly

State lawmakers have proposed a series of bills aimed at curbing retail thefts, dealing with opioid abuse and reforming – ever so slightly – California’s landmark Proposition 47. Last week Capitol Weekly brought together a stellar group of lawmakers, law enforcement officials, advocates and others for a deep dive into these serious and complex issues.

Experts Expound

Experts Expound: What now for Katie Porter?

Photo by Sheila Fitzgerald

U.S. Rep. Katie Porter’s (D-CA), once considered a rising national star for the Democratic Party, finished a distant third in her bid for the Senate seat once held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).  With that in mind, we posed the following question to our panel of esteemed experts: With her campaign for U.S. Senate over and her time in the House coming to a close, where does Katie Porter go from here? 

Capitol Spotlight

Capitol Spotlight: Cynthia Moreno, Press Secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas

Cynthia Moreno, photo by Scott Duncan Photography

When she was working as a journalist, Cynthia Moreno rejected the possibility of ever working in government communications. When the idea was suggested to her, it was a “hard no,” she said. “That’s the dark side,” she thought. But today, she is Press Secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas and considers it a dream job – one of the best positions she’s ever had.

Micheli Files

Establishing a quorum

Image by Sharaf Maksumov

Those who listen to the Assembly or Senate Floors will often hear the “call of the house” being made and that “a quorum is established” or that the “quorum call is lifted.” What do these different phrases mean and why are they used?

Opinion

A roadmap for meaningful climate action in 2024

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OPINION – After a big year of action in 2022, our state had some monumental wins in 2023 but also undercut this progress with actions and policies that move us in the opposite direction on environmental protection and climate leadership. In 2023, California’ took two steps forward and one step back.

Micheli Files

Standard features of initiative measures

Image by Ray Buse

When drafting initiative measures, there are several instances of standard language contained in those initiative measures. This article takes a brief look at several examples of that standardized language.

Micheli Files

Constitutional rules for the state budget

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Like all things with government, there are a plethora of rules related to the California budget process. The provisions of law related to the State Budget are primarily contained in Section 12 of Article IV of the state Constitution. What are these provisions?

Micheli Files

Glossary of common California government terms, part II

It probably does not come as a surprise, but those working in and around California’s Capitol use a number of terms or “lingo” to describe aspects of the legislative and executive branch processes. The following is the second of a two-part compilation of some of the more common terms used in California state government.

Micheli Files

Glossary of common California government terms, part I

Image by zmotions

It probably does not come as a surprise, but those working in and around California’s Capitol use a number of terms or “lingo” to describe aspects of the legislative and executive branch processes. The following is the first of a two-part a compilation of some of the more common terms used in California state government.

Micheli Files

Legislative documents used to determine intent

Image by TungCheung

MICHELI FILES: Resorting to legislative history is generally appropriate only where statutory language is ambiguous. As the California Supreme Court has said, “Our role in construing a statute is to ascertain the Legislature’s intent so as to effectuate the purpose of the law.

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