Posts Tagged: political

Opinion

Ready or not, the next generation of California politicians has arrived

Dr. Flojaune Cofer, photo via YouTube

OPINION – Dr. Flojaune Cofer shocked the Sacramento political establishment by defeating three well known politicians in the Sacramento mayoral primary – a race widely heralded as the most closely watched in the state due to its razor-thin vote margins in the early count. She represents a rising wave of unapologetically progressive Millennial women using grassroots organizing to win races throughout the state.

Micheli Files

Glossary of common California government terms, part II

It probably does not come as a surprise, but those working in and around California’s Capitol use a number of terms or “lingo” to describe aspects of the legislative and executive branch processes. The following is the second of a two-part compilation of some of the more common terms used in California state government.

News

Spending on lobbying firms already tops $222 million in 2023

Image by Peshkova

Special interests paid firms more than $77 million to lobby California state government in the third quarter of 2023, according to a Capitol Weekly analysis of lobbying firm reports, representing roughly a 4 percent increase in spending over the second quarter of 2023 and a 9 percent increase over the first quarter.

Experts Expound

Experts Expound: Halloween Edition

Image by Stock-Asso

Halloween is upon us, so with that in mind we reached out to our esteemed panel of Capitol insiders with the following question: What is the scariest thing for you in the political world right now? 

Analysis

The Micheli Files: Is there a difference between intent and policy statements in statutes?

Public policy, image by AlexLMX

ANALYSIS – Readers of bills and statutes will regularly come across statements of legislative intent, such as paragraphs that usually begin with either “It is the intent of the Legislature to …” or “The Legislature finds and declares that …” On other occasions, readers may come across statements that “it is the policy of the state.” Both are expressed opinions or state desires of the Legislature.

Analysis

The Micheli Files: committee bill volume in the 2023 session

California bill volume, image by create jobs 51

The California Legislature has a combined 55 standing committees, with 33 in the Assembly and 22 in the Senate. There were 2,661 bills introduced during the 2023 Legislative Session. Those standing committees, and their hardworking consultants (along with their minority party counterparts), reviewed and analyzed thousands of bills during the past two years.

The following

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