Sen. Jesse Arreguín. Photo by Ellie Appleby, Capitol Weekly Jesse Arreguín became Berkeley’s mayor just as Donald Trump first took the White House. Now, as the Democrat enters the California Senate representing District 7, he’s preparing to face similar challenges on a much bigger stage.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Assemblymembers Rick Zbur (left) and Kevin McCarty (right). Photo by Rich EhisenPerception is often reality in politics and, fairly or not, a series of viral videos showing criminals brazenly shoplifting from California stores has some people thinking the Golden State has become lawless. So with law enforcement and retail interests eyeing another ballot measure to reform Proposition 47, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats have opted to take on the state’s perception problem themselves, and they’re inviting Republicans along for the ride.
Capitol caucuses, image by Andrii Yalanskyi Both the Senate and Assembly have several caucuses beyond the main party caucuses: Rural Caucus, Latino Caucus, Jewish Caucus, Black Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, etc. But which wields the most power behind the scenes? We asked our experts to weigh in.
Young girl hiding behind period calendar, image by PhotoroyaltyWith over half of American women in a 2023 poll stating that they’ve felt embarrassed about their period at some point, it is no surprise that there is a lack of discourse on menstrual cycle advocacy in governments across the country. In recent years, however, California has begun to make long-awaited strides towards ending this discrimination.
Cassidy Denny, image by Scott Duncan PhotographyCassidy Denny, Legislative Director to Senator Angelique Ashby, did not envision joining the policy world when she was recruited to Colorado State University to play volleyball as an undergraduate. It wasn’t until Denny learned about the policies behind slavery and other tragedies involving Black history on a learn and serve trip to Ghana that Denny realized that she wanted to pursue a career in justice.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. Photo by Scott DuncanAdvocates for greater gender parity in California politics believe that women could reach 50 percent – or beyond – before the end of the decade. On Election Day 2022, women took 11 seats previously held by men, three in the Senate and eight in the Assembly, bringing the total number of women in the Legislature to 50, or 42 percent of the membership.
Image by BonnieJ via iStockCalifornia has only recently begun to take a legislative approach to dealing with its backlog of rape kits
Faith Colburn, Sam Chavez and Ruth Ferguson of @SHiP. Not pictured, Catie Stewart. Photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyIt has been over five years since more than 140 women in the California Capitol community signed a letter calling for an end to what they termed a “pervasive” atmosphere of sexual harassment and “dehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces.”
An Uber car in traffic. (Photo: Cristi Croitoru, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With the pandemic finally abating, people are moving around more, and business is picking up for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. So the timing is right for the California Air Resources Board to curb the pollution coming from those fleets. Fortunately, CARB’s agenda for its Board Hearing on Thursday includes a well-crafted measure called the Clean Miles Standard which will do just that.
A California home with solar panels installed on the roof. (Photo: orachonphoto, via Shutterstock)OPINION: A point of pride for the people of California is our state’s leadership in the clean energy economy. Over the past decade, Californians have had access to a great tool that puts homeowners front and center in the fight against climate change. This tool, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), enables homeowners to conveniently finance renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, and earthquake safety upgrades to their homes.