Image by Vadym Plysiuk. OPINION – The digital world is not going away, and our children are not immune from its effects. If we care about their futures, we must pair accountability with proactive safeguards.
Jacqui Nguyen. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly. In the dark of night shortly before the 1975 fall of Saigon, three-year-old Jacqui Nguyen fled Vietnam on a crowded boat with her parents, her six-month-old brother and nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Today, Nguyen works as communications director for Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach). Her path — from refugee to reporter to Capitol staffer — shapes how she does the job and how she understands what’s at stake.
Photo by Heidi Patricola. OPINION – The next nuclear revolution is already underway. Now is the moment for California to act decisively: commit to leading, mobilize its resources, and shape the future of clean energy, or risk being left behind as others seize the opportunity.
American Endurance, Jones Act tanker. Photo by Philly Shipyard.OPINION – Under the Jones Act, cargo moving between U.S. ports must be carried on American-built, American-flagged, and American-crewed vessels, including crude oil and refined petroleum products. The Trump administration has moved to wave the Jones Act, but California’s regulations, taxes, and other unique factors make any minor savings from this waiver a drop in the bucket.
Image by hapabapa. Understanding what proposed legislation actually does is part science and part art. This week lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli explains it all for you.
Image by it:Arseniy45. As the California Governor’s race enters the last several months, those millions of dollars that have been raised by candidates are starting to get spent. A new website collects digital ads, broadcast television and radio ad buys: on the digital side, you can watch the ads, see how much was spent to promote them, what geography was served and what age/gender groups were targeted. In the Broadcast TV and Radio sections you don’t see the ads themselves, but you can see all the complete buys, including what stations, dates, amounts spent, and even what TV programs were bought.
Image by JubJob.OPINION – California voters have a right to know whether their next Governor will stand up for a program that has delivered some of the most success in reducing homelessness, despite costing less than half a percent of state spending.
Image by monkeybusinessimages. OPINION – As the Legislature and Governor finalize California’s 2026-27 state budget, we face a consequential decision: whether to sustain one of our most effective tools for strengthening the teacher workforce, or allow it to wither just as it is delivering meaningful results
Capitol Briefs logoThe revelations about civil rights icon Cesar Chavez rocked California and beyond this week. But that wasn’t the only thing going on around the Capitol.
Oil pumpjacks near Fellows, California, in Kern County. Image by GaryKavanagh. OPINION – Once one of America’s top three oil producers along with Texas and Alaska, California now must rely on imports for 70 percent of our oil. SB 1137, an oil setback law more restrictive than any similar rule in the country, is further restricting local energy production.