UCLA students at graduation ceremonies.(Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)Times are flush in the Golden State, fiscally speaking. With a total budget surplus of $97.5 billion, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision prioritizes the funding of higher education. Just ask Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, who helms the California Community Colleges.
Lt. Gov. Gavin in ad for his gubernatorial campaign. (Screen capture)OPINION: With ballots in the mail and primary day a week away, Gavin Newsom recently ran a TV spot aimed at one of his five gubernatorial opponents – Republican John Cox. The broadside focused on guns and called attention to Cox’s support for the National Rifle Association and his opposition to gun control. Smart move, you say.
Graduates at ceremonies at Santa Monica City College. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)From housing to college, Californians are complaining about affordability. As parents and students grapple with their future, many are looking towards alternatives to the typical four-year degree. Many are focusing more on careers, jobs, benefits, and steady careers that fulfill their interests.
The Assembly chamber in the state Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: Felix Lipov, Shutterstock)It’s hard to be a Republican in the California Legislature. Earlier this year when Sen. Janet Nguyen was removed from the Senate chamber, it was clear that Senate Republicans were upset for their colleague but also thrilled – thrilled – to be in the spotlight for a change.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, prior to a presidential candidate debate. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shuitterstock)Field Poll: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s once commanding lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has declined to just six points. Clinton is currently the choice of 47% of likely voters in this state’s Democratic presidential primary, while 41% now favor Sanders. Clinton’s current six-point lead in California is only about half the margins found in each of the last two Field Polls conducted in January and October.
A youngster on his visit to the dentist. (Photo: Wavebreakmedia, via Shutterstock)What if I told you there was a straightforward way to raise kids’ grades, increase funding for schools and cut costly emergency room visits? You’d probably tell me to get my head checked by a doctor. And I’d tell you to see a dentist.
Gov. Jerry Brown in the state Capitol last year. (Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images)The latest Field Poll finds nearly six in ten California voters (58%) approving of the job Jerry Brown is doing as Governor, while just 26% disapprove. This nearly equals his record approval rating of 59% that he achieved a little more than a year ago in April 2014. At present, 37% of rank-and-file Republicans currently approve of the job Brown is doing, up from 27% who said this three months ago.
Young California football players practice for the big game. (Photo: bikeriderlondon, via Shutterstock)Over the years, traumatic brain injuries in sports were never really discussed and stories of career-ending accidents were often glossed over. However, the winds are changing. Individuals suffering from serious head injuries are gaining a voice and have begun raising awareness through both the media and legislative efforts. As more and more stories of career-ending injuries pepper the news, the topic is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Gov. Brown on Jan. 9 in the state Capitol as he unveiled his 2015-16 draft budget. Brown's budget includes the newly approved "rainy day fund."(Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)Likely voters in California are starting off the new year with some new-found optimism about the governor, the economy and — wait for it — the Legislature, according to a new survey released late Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.
California's Highway 1 in Marin County. (Photo: Constantine Kulikovsky)FIELD POLL: Californians are taking a more positive view of the direction of the state than then did four years ago when near record proportions (80%) felt the state was seriously off on the wrong track. However, views about California’s overall direction vary considerably depending on where a voter lives and his or her party registration.