Xavier Becerra, Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP)In the second of our ongoing series taking a brief, concise look at all the declared candidates to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, we take a look at former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Image by ookawa. OPINION – California’s Cap and Trade Program is supposed to be one of the best tools the state has for reducing climate pollution and funding climate solutions. But if Big Oil gets its way, the program will amount to a massive handout to corporate polluters funded by California taxpayers.
Former Senate pro Tem Toni Atkins, photo by AP. We’re a long way off from the 2026 gubernatorial election, but 14 candidates – nine Democrats and four Republicans – have already kicked their campaigns to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom into high gear. Some are familiar names and faces; others are not. And of course all of them are, like the rest of us, waiting to see if former California Attorney General, U.S. Senator and Vice President Kamala Harris adds her name to the list. While Harris ponders her future, over the next few months Capitol Weekly will take a brief look at how the current candidates shape up.
Sen. Scott Wiener. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyNobody can ever accuse Sen. Scott Wiener of only taking on the easy fights. The San Francisco Democrat has in fact developed a reputation as someone almost allergic to tackling any bill – from housing to health care, from psychedelics to artificial intelligence – that doesn’t promise a bare-knuckles brawl to get passed.
California State Capitol building. Image by rschlieLawmakers returned from their spring break bills in hand and loaded for bear. This week’s edition of Capitol Briefs takes a look at some of those measures.
Image by PromesaArtStudioIn late March, Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, amended a spot bill, SB 47, to order the State Auditor to conduct an audit of the February 2025 bar exam. The bill would direct the auditor to submit findings “as soon as possible” to the Bar’s board of trustees, the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court and the Senate Judiciary Committee and its Assembly counterpart.
The California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Image by t:Marcopolo9442While we all wait to see if former Vice President Kamala Harris will throw her hat into the ring to succeed soon-to-be termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, it’s a good time to pose a tangentially-related question to our esteemed panel of experts.
Image by peterschreiber.mediaOPINION – Our electric grid is the backbone of modern life—from powering homes and businesses to driving technological innovation. SB 540 ensures that this backbone remains strong, dependable, and cost-effective for California consumers.
Image by BrianAJackson. OPONION – Lawmakers can strengthen our state’s economy and its future by rejecting the governor’s disproportionate reductions in the UC and CSU budgets.
Image by WallentineXavier Becerra joins a crowded gubernatorial field; firebrand Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli exits.