Image by Jim ValleeOPINION – There will be another primary election on Tuesday, and the result will be another indictment of this state’s failed top-two primary experiment. It’s time we go back to a system in which we let voters from all parties — Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens – select a candidate in primary elections and then let a battle of contrasting political ideas play out in the fall.
Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter. Photo courtesy of the U.S. House of RepresentativesDianne Feinstein’s announcement she will not seek another term has sparked a furious three-way battle for the Democratic nomination to replace her. But is there a Republican dark horse in the mix? Or maybe even California Gov. Gavin Newsom? We asked our experts to weigh in.
Crime scene photoCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: In the wake of the horrific January 21 shooting that killed 11 people in Monterey Park, Gov. Newsom visited hospitalized survivors. His conversation with one patient revealed an added stress for survivors of gun violence and other violent crime: the inability to cover expenses incurred or wages lost due to the incident.
A children's playground cloaked in greenery. (Photo: JameSit, via Shutterstock)OPINION: From San Diego to Sacramento, the threat of rising temperatures to our youth continues to worsen. And as six million California public school students return to class this month, they’ll be walking onto schoolyards covered with asphalt – prison-like, unhealthy environments that are detrimental to a kid’s physical, mental and educational health.
From San Diego to Sacramento, the threat of rising temperatures to our youth continues to worsen. And as six million California public school students return to class this month, they’ll be walking onto schoolyards covered with asphalt – prison-like, unhealthy environments that are detrimental to a kid’s physical, mental and educational health.
A tangle of glass and plastic beverage bottles at a Santa Monica recycling site. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)After a nice dinner with your loved ones, make sure to keep the wine and spirit containers alongside the recyclable bottles. The state Senate passed Senate Bill 1013 on a 39-0 vote and sent it to the Assembly just before lawmakers left for their summer recess.
An active older couple hikes to an outlook over a California forest. (Photo: Ulza, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the Romans laid bricks every hour. The same might be said about California’s Master Plan for Aging, which has laid the groundwork for this precise moment in time.
A smog L.A. skyline looms in the background. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Sadly, some Sacramento legislators choose to ignore democratic principles and are, once again, attempting to push their “state-knows-best” attitude and diminish local control at the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Voters elect local city councils and mayors to represent our best interests. In turn, these elected officials select from among themselves the members of the SCAQMD governing board.
Illustratikon of COVID impact on California. (Photo: Alexander Lukatskiy, Shutterstock)Timing can speak volumes. Consider this: As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus increases the infection rate, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut COVID-19 quarantine and isolation times from 10 to five days on Dec. 27.
A newspaper's election gives readers information about the Sept. 14, 2021, recall election. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)California’s attention was focused recently on the failed attempt to recall Gov. Newsom as a rare event of historical magnitude. In fact, recall elections happen all the time, and all but a relative handful of these obscure contests disappear into the limbo of history.
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in South Lake Tahoe. (Photo: EQRoy, via Shutterstock)Voters are facing the possibility of deciding among three fiercely competing ballot initiatives next year – all of them involving tens of millions of dollars and a revolution in California’s gambling industry. One of the three has already qualified for the November 2022 ballot. The remaining two must still gather signatures.