Posts Tagged: letter

Podcast

Are California’s electricity rates about to skyrocket?

De-focused electricity transmission towers in countryside at sunset, panoramic landscape. AChanPhoto, Shutterstock

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Loretta Lynch, the former President of the California Public Utilities Commission is sounding the alarm on a proposed change to California’s commercial electricity providers’ rate structure that, she says, will dramatically increase rates for electricity customers. Now, Lynch and others are urging the CPUC to intervene before it’s too late.

News

In unusual move, Gov. Newsom smacks stem cell agency

Gov. Gavin Newsom at the State of the State Address in January. (Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has rebuked California’s stem cell agency about its conduct of the election of a new chairperson for the $12 billion enterprise, a process that has been disrupted with the withdrawal of one candidate and the addition of a new one.

Letters

Letter to the Editor: Mental health care

Dear Editor: I want to commend reporter Sigrid Bathen for her thorough and excellent reporting on an issue important to so many people: providing mental health care for our loved ones. Ms. Bathen’s two-part series shined a critical light on some counties’ resistance to adopting Laura’s Law to enhance outpatient services to those with severe mental health issues.

News

Lobbying bills on the floors of the Legislature

The chamber of the state Senate in Sacramento. (Photo: Felix Lipov, via Shutterstock)

In simplistic terms, lobbying the state Senate and Assembly floors is similar to lobbying legislative committees, except that the scale is much larger. For example, some committees have as few five members (elected officials), while others have over 20 members. As you would assume, most committees in the 40-member Senate have fewer members sitting on them than do their counterparts in the 80-member Assembly.

News

New law protecting sex workers stirs emotions

A photo illustration of a young girl in custody. (Image: structuresxx, via Shutterstock

The woman, writing to Gov. Gavin Newsom about Senate Bill 233, called herself voiceless.In her letter she told the governor about rapes she’s suffered while homeless and on the streets. Pimps had beaten her. One once threw her out of a hotel, leaving her naked in the parking lot.She feared to call police. They never listened to her before, the unnamed woman wrote.

Opinion

CARB’s bait-and-switch on climate change

A natural gas power plant near Ventura. (Photo: Richard Fitzer, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: When California’s signature climate change program was nearing its expiration date, there was serious debate about whether to extend it. This program, called Cap-and-Trade, reduces carbon emissions but it also increases the costs of gas, electricity, and numerous other necessities. That’s a significant problem in a state known for high taxes, onerous regulations, and the worst small business climate in the country.

Letters

Letter to the Editor: BOE gas tax, redistricting

Dear Editor: I respectfully disagree with Paul Mitchell’s opinion in the April 24, 2018, Capitol Weekly article,“CA120: Political intrigue: BOE’s redistricting and the gas tax.” My vote against raising the gas tax was a matter of policy, not politics.

Letters

Letter to the Editor

March 31 marks the birthday of Cesar Chavez, co-founder (with Dolores Huerta) of the United Farm Workers Union.  The pair deserve a National Holiday, IMO.  (The recent documentary, “Dolores,” supports that contention.)

News

Laura Friedman: First-term lawmaker in key Capitol role

A dermonstrator at a Sacramento rally against sexual misconduct. (Photo: Tim Foster/Capitol Weekly)

Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, a first-term lawmaker, is among the most prominent figures in the California Capitol working to combat sexual harassment. She’s not only become the Legislature’s de facto point person on sexual misconduct, but also responsible for reshaping the current harassment-reporting process that many say has failed victims.

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