San Luis Obispo, CA. Image by Jim BrownOPINION – A new California Mobility Index (CMI) ranking the state’s four-year institutions did more than highlight the importance of the California State University (CSU) system to low- and moderate-income Californians and the state’s economic future. It said two things concurrently: investing in CSU is good for the California economy, and the CSU system must do better.
Gavin Newsom welcomed MAGA media personality Charlie Kirk on the first episode of his new podcast.Governor Newsom’s initial podcast was…very interesting to say the least. And so with that for inspiration, we asked our panel of experts for their reaction to the governor’s podcast. NOTE: All opinions expressed here are solely those of our expert panelists.
Image by Andrii Yalanskyi. We’ve all heard the expression “The rules are the rules.” But when it comes to making rules in the state of California, the process has its own labyrinth of, well, rules to guide the process.
Rida Shaikh. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyAt just 24, Rida Shaikh has already found her footing in Sacramento, overseeing operations of the Senate Elections Committee. But her path to the Capitol wasn’t straightforward – it was a journey of persistence and defiance of expectations.
Image by Thawatchai ChawongOPINION – As the legislature begins deliberations on cap-and-trade reauthorization, two questions are paramount: Has the cap-and-trade program accomplished its initial goals, and what should be its goals going forward?
Image by solarsevenOPINION – California has long been a leader in environmental protection. Now is the time to reaffirm our promise: to live up to our state’s track record of bold environmental action and keep California at the forefront of the fight against plastic pollution for generations to come.
Image by :smolaw11Just days after three major Jewish organizations announced that an Orange County school district had agreed to settle a lawsuit over controversial ethnic studies courses, 31 Democrats in the Assembly and State Senate introduced a bill intended to prevent situations like that from happening again.
Image by WallentineFor the 2025 Session, legislators in both houses are subject to a 2-year limit of 35 bills. But did the lower caps actually produce fewer bills this year? In a special edition of the Micheli Files, law professor and lobbyist Chris Micheli took a look a bill intros going back almost two decades to give us that answer.
Scheduler Anna Esparza. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol WeeklyGetting a meeting with a lawmaker at the California State Capitol is often an exercise in patience and flexibility, one that generally has multiple moving parts. And no matter who is doing the asking, the process almost always starts with the same person – the scheduler.
Image by Hotaik SungCalifornia scientists took what looked like an $800 million hit last week in their efforts to develop revolutionary treatments and cures for diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes.