Image by Richard ThorntonOPINION – It was a letter I never thought I would have to write. But given deceptive tactics by a group called Groundswell, funded by discredited water company Cadiz, to wrongly use my name and image in their lobbying strategy, my duty to speak out was clear.
Image by MMD CreativeOPINION – CHCs and primary care physicians have long served as a safety net for communities of color. For far too long, our physicians, nurses and staff have witnessed the devastating challenges our patients face to access regular care for chronic health conditions, finding specialty care doctors who accept Medi-Cal, and accessing affordable medications.
Image by lightspringANALYSIS – Asians and Latinos in California are the two fastest growing Ethnic populations on the voter file. But they appear, politically, to be headed in slightly different directions.
PODCAST: The California Republican Party Convention kicks off Friday in Anaheim with a luncheon featuring former president and current GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. So, what to expect? We asked Mike Madrid, a longtime Republican strategist and expert on Latino politics who denounced the party’s embrace of Trumpism in 2016. He joined us to talk about the state of the state Republican Party and about where the Republican Party is nationally.
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.
Dan Morain and Richard Polanco; image from the Oral History.CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Richard Polanco is the subject of a new video Oral History conducted by Journalist and author Dan Morain, who covered Polanco’s career for the Los Angeles Times. Morain joined Capitol Weekly’s Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about Polanco’s career and legacy as the man who is credited as the architect of Latino power in the capitol.
A voter casts his ballot during the 2020 general election at a voting center in L.A.'s Pantages Theatre. (Photo: Ringo Chiu, via Shutterstock)The U.S. Census Bureau’s voter survey of the November 2020 election shows that, once again, California saw increased participation in general and across nearly all demographics. A startling finding in the recently released data: In 2020, African American participation hit 64%, very close to 2008’s record 65.2%, when Barack Obama ran for president for the first time.
Farm workers with masks pick strawberries near Carlsbad, San Diego County. (Photo: Simone Hogan, via Shutterstock)Back in April, when the lockdown was first beginning, a California Farm Bureau study reported that the agriculture sector had lost more than 2.4 million jobs directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, along with the financial hit, farm workers are suffering through increased risk of deadly infection.
California Latinos celebrate the 3election results at a Nov. 7 rally in downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: Matt Gush)OPINION: The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris has left Harris’ Senate seat open. In appointing someone to fill this seat, Governor Newsom has the opportunity to secure another historic first by selecting our state’s first Latino or Latina U.S. Senator.
David Cruz is the head of the Economic and Business Council for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). LULAC has declined to take a position on California’s hotly-contested Proposition 22, but Cruz has been actively engaged in making the case to pass the measure, including an appearance in an October debate against Latina activist Dolores Huerta, who is in opposition. David joined us by phone to discuss his support for Prop. 22, including a novel take on how to view the nearly quarter-billion dollars spent on the campaign.