A California ballot box. (Photo illustration, Hafakot, via Shutterstock)The Public Policy Institute of California released a survey Wednesday night that, in addition to its examination of the U.S. Senate and presidential races, reported on the level of support for key ballot measures. The propositions require simple majorities to pass.
Illustration by Kheng Guan Toh, via ShutterstockOPINION: The California Public Utilities Commission is about to make a landmark decision about the merger of Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks that will have a generational effect on closing—or possibly making permanent—the Digital Divide.
Latinos taking the Pledge of Allegiance in Los Angeles. (Photo: Spirit of America)Only half of California adults can be expected to vote in this year’s presidential election, and they are likely to be very different from those who do not vote—in their demographic and economic backgrounds and in their political attitudes. These are among the key findings of a report released Tuesday evening by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
Photo: GongTo, via Shutterstock.A new battlefront has emerged in the nation’s struggle over gun control: a proposed firearm violence research center at the University of California. In a move being closely watched by advocates on both sides, California lawmakers are pushing for the state to study gun violence, taking over a job the federal government dropped 20 years ago.
Jim Heerwagen, left, and Shane McCloud, of Voters Right to Know. (Photo: Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly)Voters Right to Know, a reform group seeking political transparency, has dropped a bid to qualify a constitutional amendment guaranteeing public access to campaign finance information. Instead, the group is backing a new bill, SB 1349 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, that would improve Californians’ access to campaign data. Jim Heerwagen, a leader of the group, and campaign manager Shane McLoud stopped by Capitol Weekly’s office to talk about the new strategy.
Illustration by Tasha Tuvango, via ShutterstockRecent cases of meningitis B on the campus of Santa Clara University have reinforced the threat of vaccine preventable illnesses and the importance of education and vaccination in the fight against meningitis B. Meningitis is a dangerous bacterial infection that can cause neurological injury, loss of limbs and even death.
The California coast along Redwood National Park, north Humboldt County, (Photo: Don Forthuber, redwoods.info)MORRO BAY, Calif. – The California Coastal Commission fired Executive Director Charles Lester late Wednesday, after several commissioners complained about a lack of communication from Lester and the staff. The action, a 7-5 vote by the 12-member commission, was taken publicly following a discussion behind closed doors.
Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur, south of Carmel. (Photo: Tom Tietz)For those attempting to oust Charles Lester, the executive director of the California Coastal Commission, the upcoming hearing is a referendum on his job performance. For the environmentalists who follow the commission, it’s a coup and an attempt to seize the upper hand in the power struggle between pro-development interests and an environmentalist staff that they believe has defined the commission since the reign of Peter Douglas.
The coast at La Jolla. Photo: Dancestrokes)A North Coast lawmaker has come to the defense of Charles Lester, the executive director of the California Coastal Commission who has come under fire from a number of commissioners seeking his ouster at the panel’s meeting next month in Moro Bay.
Voluminous data displayed on a computer monitor. (Photo: Dimitri Nikolaev)Information technology has been a key driver of productivity growth in the private sector, as evidenced by the fact that companies that have invested the most in computers, software, and communications grew their employees’ output per hour three times faster than other companies. Unfortunately, it appears that most state governments, including California, lag behind and are more like those companies that have invested less in IT.