Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)California’s Odd Couple find themselves on a wild ride in Washington, replete with cloak-and-dagger meetings, reports of Russian sneakiness and confusion all ‘round. But while Schiff and Nunes are both Californians and veteran politicians, that’s pretty much where the resemblance ends.
Doctors and nurses guide a young patient on a gurney down a hospital corridor. (Photo: Spotmatik LTD, via Shutterstock)Billions of dollars for California’s health care system serving 13 million poor and young people would be slashed dramatically under a GOP-backed proposal in Congress supported by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other top Republicans.
(Photo illustration: Erce, via Shutterstock)After the two houses of the Legislature pass a bill, but before that bill reaches the governor’s desk, the legislation goes through a very important process called “engrossing and enrolling.” Engrossing also occurs after each amendment to a bill. This is a critical procedure and it takes place outside the view of the public or curious journalists.
Republican Congressman Darrel Issa of Vista. (Photo: House of Representatives)This is Darrell Issa country: The 49th Congressional District runs along the coast from southern Orange County to northern San Diego County. Its proximity to military bases such as Camp Pendleton, a substantial retirement community and other demographic factors have made the district a longtime Republican stronghold. But the nature of the district is changing and he may face a significant reelection fight this year from Democrat Doug Applegate, a retired Marine Corps officer and a lawyer.
Erin Schrode, candidate for the 2nd Congressional District. (Photo: Teens Turning Greeg. org Twenty-five-year-old Erin Schrode, a Democrat, is running for the House in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes coastal counties north of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon line. She is the youngest candidate in any of California’s 53 House races and may be the youngest in the nation. She actually turned 25 during the campaign – the minimum required age to serve in the House.
Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton at a May 5 East Los Angeles College rally, Monterey Park. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)As speculation grows about Hillary Clinton’s choice for a VP running mate, one name keeps popping up, at least in California – Congressman Xavier Becerra, 58, who was born and raised in Sacramento.
Kevin McCarthy, minutes after announcing he was withdrawing his bid to be House speaker. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)Kevin McCarthy, whose meteoric rise in the California Assembly’s GOP ranks was matched only by his rise in Congress, halted his upward trajectory by abruptly withdrawing from the race for House speaker — a stunning move that threw his GOP colleagues into disarray.
Tour goers flank a mannequin of Dorothea Puente at the house on F Street. (Photo: Steve Martarano)Reporter’s Notebook: “If you’re interested in bodies,” the watch commander said cryptically, “go out to 14th and F streets.” I pulled up to the curb just a heartbeat ahead of a Channel 40 van. Unbeknownst to me, Sacramento’s most sensational serial murder case had started to unfold. I walked up to the excavated mound of dirt on the side of the yard and the homicide lieutenant there met me, and quickly said police had just found what they had been digging for all day: human remains. The officer pointed to a slab of concrete covering the side yard and said they would start digging it up the next day looking for more bodies.
Calpensions: President Obama said he has directed his labor department to propose rules showing states how to create what in California could be an “automatic IRA,” a payroll deduction that puts money into a tax-deferred savings plan unless workers opt out. The rules are expected to answer a key question: Is Secure Choice exempt from a federal retirement law, ERISA, that not only has employer administrative costs but may also expose employers to liability for failed investments and other problems?
Congressional districts in the Inland Empire, approved by California's redistricting commission in 2011. (Map: Ballotpedia)That whooshing sound you hear is the sigh of relief from California political reformers. The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected an attempt by the Arizona Legislature to dismantle that state’s voter-approved, independent commission that draws the political boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. Arizona lawmakers had argued that the commission – which California used as a model for its own redistricting commission — was unconstitutional because it cut them out of the map-drawing process.