A journalist on the job taking video of a street protest. (Photo: wellphoto, via Shutterstock)In late June, as protesters in Los Angeles took to the streets in opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, journalists covering the demonstrations found themselves at the center of another issue of concern: the treatment of the press by police officers during protests.
Room 1190 on the ground floor of the Capitol annex, looking towards the rear from the stage. (Photo: KQED.org)OPINION:Cage matches between the media and elected officials have become an expected part of the current, vitriolic political ecosystem. But I recall a time when California government worked smoothly with the “fourth estate” to drive good policy, inform residents and have some pizazz while doing so.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite, which prvides water for San Francisco. ((Photo: Nickolay Stanev)After months of negotiations to rewrite the controversial $11.1 billion water bond on California’s November ballot, a compromise has been reached on a $10.5 billion plan that includes $3 billion for reservoirs and groundwater storage, and $1 billion for groundwater cleanup in the L.A. basin. The big question is whether Gov. Brown will approve the deal — and so far he’s not saying.
State Sen. Ron Calderon, whose Capitol offices were raided as part of an FBI undercover sting, says federal authorities illegally leaked information and pressured him to wear a hidden microphone in a purported corruption probe of Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg (above) and a colleague. Calderon said he refused, prompting retaliation from federal agents. On Thursday, a judge ordered federal authorities to respond to Calderon’s allegations. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
Reliable sources are among a journalist’s most valuable assets. In California, an effort is under way to strengthen their protections, a move prompted by the federal government’s recent efforts to abruptly seize reporters’ telephone records.
“A free democracy depends on the freedom of the press,” said Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Long Beach. Lieu, a former prosecutor,
The next eight months are going to be very interesting: Will the canoe still float?