Derek Kirk, photo by Capitol WeeklyDerek Kirk’s greatest strength, according to the Gallup Strengthsfinder test, is WOO, or “winning over others.” In Kirk’s short but impressive career, this judgment rings true.
Image by Mohamad Faizal Bin RamliOPINION – An updated rate-setting process is necessary to restore a functioning insurance market in California, and we need that NOW for more reliable rates, greater policy availability, and safer communities.
Image by dontree_mOPINION – California is leading on equitable decarbonization that uplifts vulnerable communities instead of imposing new burdens on them. Gutting our state’s visionary program would undermine our climate commitments and housing equity goals.
Sacramento, California, United States. Image by Png-StudioFriday is the deadline for bills to get out of their house of origin, so this week lawmakers are addressing hundreds of bills in short order. Here is just a sampling of some of those measures.
Loyal Terry, photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyThe newest Capitol Weekly Rising Star, Loyal Terry, Assembly Fellow for Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), takes inspiration from the lived experiences of his late father, his aunts and uncles, and himself. Terry approaches policy from a holistic perspective, having experienced how housing, transportation, health, and more intersect to impact working-class people.
Image by jutawat RawichotOPINION – If your house was on fire, would you throw money at the arsonists fanning the flames? Probably not, but that’s exactly what California is doing by giving away hundreds of millions — if not billions — of dollars to fossil fuel corporations every year.
Image by Valery EvlakhovOPINION – Addressing the theft crisis and the fentanyl epidemic is a complicated problem and requires comprehensive solutions. However, there are actions California can take immediately to help stem the tide of theft, drug use, and the pain addicts experience.
Photo by Associated PressCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom has made national headlines touting his plan to add a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would implement what he’s called “common sense constitutional protections and gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, independent voters, and gun owners overwhelmingly support.” But there is not universal agreement that California’s gun laws actually amount to a functional ban on assault weapons.
Image by Sebastian DudaOccasionally I have been asked whether the Legislature’s adopted rules – the Assembly Rules, Senate Rules, and Joint Rules – have equal standing as legislative process rules found in the California Constitution. This question is particularly relevant because these three sets of legislative rules flow from a specific grant of authority in the state Constitution.
The rules of consent, image by anabarauliaEach standing committee of the California State Senate (there are 22 of them) and State Assembly (there are 33 of them) operate under the Joint Rules of the Legislature, as well as the Standing Rules of the Senate and Assembly, respectively. Each standing committee may adopt rules governing the operation of their committees. These committee rules set forth the procedures and guidelines that are used to conduct the business of the particular legislative committee.