The idea behind pilot program legislation is to give a public policy proposal a try. As part of this effort, there is usually an effort to collect data and determine whether the temporarily adopted program is meeting expectations.
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.
Image by CassiohabibIn general, state legislative history is elusive and California, like many other states, is no exception to this rule. For those who need to research the legislative history of a bill that was enacted into law in the State of California, there are a number of options to use.
Image by PeshkovaSpecial 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.
Image by Stock-AssoHalloween 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?
Image by evan_huangOPINION – The California Public Utilities Commission should be applauded for its efforts to help California lead in advancing “broadband for all.” But misguided CPUC rulemaking on service quality threatens to reverse years of progress.
OPINION – The government should never have a financial incentive to penalize people. Yet, that’s exactly what’s happening with one of California’s state departments, much to the detriment of the people the agency is supposed to serve.
Public policy, image by AlexLMXANALYSIS – 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.
California bill volume, image by create jobs 51The 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.
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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.