Posts Tagged: Los Angeles

Sharp concerns over crowded ballot

Voters in Ventura County cast ballots during a recent election. (Photo: Spirit of America, Shutterstock)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 04.19.2016

California’s clogged, high-stakes November ballot is riveting voters’ attention – and raising fears among those who have to count the votes. It’s a perfect storm: Intense interest in the presidential general election, a deluge of six dozen ballot in initiatives cleared for circulation, labor-intensive signature-verification requirements and the likelihood that the potential initiatives will be submitted in a tight time window, thus further straining resources.

California stem cell agency eyes human gene editing

A digital illustration of DNA structure. (Image by Matha Graphics, via Shutterstock)

by DAVID JENSEN posted 01.28.2016

The $3 billion California stem cell agency next Thursday will convene a day-long examination of human gene editing, a field that could be a “gold mine for biotechnology” and perhaps alter the human race permanently. “Easy DNA Editing Will Remake the World. Buckle Up.” is the way Wired magazine put it in a headline on a lengthy overview article last July.

Will California’s GOP presidential primary really count?

A campaign stop in Oxnard during a presidential contest. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)

by Shannon Flaherty posted 08.10.2015

Republicans have created a political mosh pit featuring 36 declared candidates and filled with no shortage of pointed invective. Of the 36 Republicans, 17 are considered serious contenders. As usual, those contenders have descended on early primary and caucus states, chumming through New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina in search of support and generating plenty of news along the way. At the moment, in California, they are only chumming for money.

Fran Pavley: The quiet crusader

Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, addresses colleagues on the Senate floor.(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

by CHUCK MCFADDEN posted 07.01.2015

To environmentalists in California, across the nation and around the world, she is a trailblazing leader. To the California Chamber of Commerce and many Republicans, she is the unrealistic author of job-killing, la-de-da legislation. To some, she is a futurist who predicts gas stations will disappear in 10 years. She is Fran Pavley, a pleasant, gray-haired Democratic state senator from Southern California who does not come across as a firebrand but can grow passionate about protecting the environment.

Census: Amid diversity, California Asians gain ground

Taking in a ball game in Los Angeles. (Photo: Supanee Hickman)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 06.25.2015

California’s Asian population is the largest of any state in the nation, and its increase during a 12-month period was the largest in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The state’s Asian population reached 6.3 million through last summer, the latest period for which data is available, reflecting a 162,000 increase over July 2013. California’s Asian population represents nearly a third of the nation’s 20.3 million.

Kevin de León on policy, politics and the future

State Senate Leader Kevin de León on Feb. 1, 2014, at the Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles(Photo: Betto Rodrigues, via Shutterstock)

by ANTHONY YORK posted 03.02.2015

GRIZZLY BEAR PROJECT: After some hard feelings and bruised egos, De León accepted his defeat and ran for the Senate seat that he never really wanted. But in the Senate, de León has matured and grown as a legislator. Early on, he helped ease roadblocks between the Senate and the governor’s office. In the meantime, he reconstructed and expanded his personal relationships, and was elected by his colleagues last year as the new leader of the state Senate.

Central Valley: A U.S. Senate battleground?

The sprawling Central Valley of California, the world's richest farm belt. (Photo: ).

by SAMANTHA GALLEGOS posted 02.09.2015

As state attorney general, Kamala Harris has given key issues of the Central Valley particular attention, which could play politically well for her 2016 run for Sen. Barbara Boxer’s soon-to-be vacant seat. Rich in Latinos, most of whom are Democrats, the Central Valley could prove to be a decisive battleground, especially if a Latino enters the fray.

Voters shun election in droves

The state Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: Wikimedia)

by JOHN HOWARD and CONNOR GRUBAUGH posted 06.04.2014

Election 2014 An early tally shows that fewer than one in five of California’s registered voters cast ballots in this week’s primary, continuing a downward trend that has bedeviled the state’s elections. A county-by-county report from the secretary of state’s office noted that 3.24 million people voted out of the 17.72 million registered, or about 18.3 percent. When compared with the total number of eligible voters in California, those who actually cast ballots dwindled to 13.34 percent.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces California’s campaign finance laws, has decided not to open an investigation of Sen. Kevin de León in connection with a $25,000 donation to a nonprofit advocacy group headed by the brother of Sen. Ron Calderon, a figure targeted in an FBI undercover investigation.

A bumpy ride on the bullet train

California bullet train. (Illustration: High Speed Rail Authority)

by SUMMER PARKERPERRY posted 12.11.2013

The latest actions are far from conclusive but they may force delays in the project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2028 to link San Francisco and Los Angeles through the Central Valley. High-speed rail has long been popular in Europe and Asia, but earlier efforts in the U.S. to develop high-speed rail have failed in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. (Photo: High Speed Rail Authority).