Experts Expound
Experts Expound: How much is too much?
Multitasking. Image by CreativaImages. The latest question posed to our panel of experts: “Should there be a hard limit on the number of committees a legislator can serve on?”
Posts Tagged: legislation
Multitasking. Image by CreativaImages. Micheli Files
Notes for the end-of-session
California Assembly Chambers. Photo by Capitol Weekly. With the final weeks of Session upon us, several procedural items that regularly occur on the Floors of the California Legislature may be in order. Today intrepid Capitol lobbyist, law professor and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Chris Micheli offers insights into understanding the session’s closing moments.
News
Top 100 2026: The more things change… the more they change
I don’t have to tell anyone this is an election year. Between last November’s special election, the June primary and the impending mid-terms this fall, the winds of change – or not, depending on how a few things roll out – are everywhere. All of this is reflected in this year’s Top 100 list, and will assuredly be in the future. Because in this world change is the only constant.
Micheli Files
Chart of 2026 bill volume of California legislative committees
California Assembly Chambers, photo by Capitol Weekly. The California Legislature’s combined 57 standing committees (32 in the Assembly and 25 in the Senate) have addressed 1,846 bills (1,263 ABs and 583 SBs) during the 2026 Legislative Session.
News
AB 2575: Rage against the machine
Image by Panya Mingthaisong. As lawmakers race toward the end of the legislative session, AB 2575 is just one of many AI-related bills on the docket for them to consider. But amid the countless discussions currently surrounding AI, AB 2575 addresses one issue that may not immediately come to mind: the rights of healthcare workers using these systems.
News
SB 690: predation or privacy?
Image by putilich. A measure aimed at protecting people’s privacy has instead become one of the most heavily discussed bills of 2026 among California law firms as debate over the proposal has become focused on what some see as a surprising topic: immigration.
Capitol Briefs
Capitol Briefs: Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss
Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo. Photo by AP. It was another busy week around the Capitol filled with intrigue and infighting as lawmakers lurch toward the end of session.
Lobbying
Special interests spent nearly $530 million on lobbying firms this cycle
The state Capitol in Sacramento. Photo: Feoktistoff, via Shutterstock)Special interests paid contract lobbying firms more $93.4 million to lobby state government in the sixth quarter of the 2025-26 cycle, the most spent in a single quarter since Capitol Weekly started analyzing lobbying firm reports at the beginning of the last cycle.
Micheli Files
Journal letters cannot substitute for bill amendments
Letter from the 9/12/25 Senate Daily Journal. Image courtesy of Chris Micheli. Because bills cannot be amended in the final three days of the Session, authors and interest groups have been utilizing letters to the Assembly and Senate Daily Journals in an effort to modify their “intent,” or even address concerns with explicit bill language that cannot be amended. Unfortunately, the use of these letters cannot be a substitute for making actual changes to the proposed statutory language.
Capitol Briefs
Capitol Briefs: On your mark, get set….
Assembly Chambers. Photo by Capitol WeeklyLawmakers come back next week for the annual sprint to the legislative finish line. Today we look at a handful of bills and issues on the August docket.