The California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Image by t:Marcopolo9442It has been a big budget week, with lots of ups and downs. In today’s briefs we look at some of those as well as a few more happenings in and around the Capitol.
Image by ThitareeSarmkasat.OPINION – Instead of addressing the root causes of rising rental prices, lawmakers are targeting so-called “artificial intelligence” algorithms used in rental pricing software.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol Weekly. On Wednesday, May 14, Capitol Weekly hosted “California’s Insurance Crisis,” its first in-person gathering of the year and second conference of 2025. Held at the University of California Student and Policy Center, the event featured three panels and a keynote address from the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Discussions ranged from the overall state of the insurance industry to the impact of the Los Angeles wildfires and the path forward.
Image by robert brownOPINION – Ensuring adequate housing to meet community needs is essential to California’s long-term stability and prosperity. That’s why it’s deeply disappointing and concerning to see Senate Bill 682 advancing, as it risks exacerbating the very crisis we are working to resolve.
Image by Francesco Scatena. OPINION – California stands at a crossroads: either continue allowing companies to produce and sell dangerous “forever chemicals” like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that pollute our environment and jeopardize public health, or take bold, science-based action to eliminate their non-essential uses.
Image by Manu Reyes. OPINION – There’s a lot of talk from politicians about homelessness as a top issue. So why, unlike public education, healthcare, behavioral health and transportation, does California fail to provide ongoing funding at scale to address the crisis?
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.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyIt’s late March and lawmakers are gearing up to fast track housing development reforms, regulate AI and implement Proposition 36. All this and a brief look at what’s happening in other states…and one very tall, very naked metal woman.
Image by megafloppOPINION – The voters repeatedly have said that housing is their number one concern, and yet six years into the Newsom administration, there is little to show for the tens of billions that have been spent on housing since 2019.
Image by zimmytwsOPINION – Housing is the solution to homelessness. This year housing is on the ballot in California and voters have a chance to be part of this solution by voting yes on Proposition 5.