Flags flown at houses along a southern California street. (Photo: Bill Chizek, via Shutterstock)A financial advisory firm called WalletHub recently issued a study listing the states according to how patriotic they are. Care to guess where California wound up? With July 4 loomimg, we thought we’d take a look. We’re 44th out of the 50 states.
Incoming state Senate Leader Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, flanked by Sen. Ricardo Lara, left, at a meeting with Mexican government officials. (Photo: California State Senate)This month, the San Diego lawmaker is set to replace Kevin de León as leader of the California Senate. She will be the first woman and first open lesbian to hold the position. She also will be the first person since the 19th century to hold both of the Legislature’s top jobs – Assembly speaker and Senate leader.
Former President Barack Obama, right, waves to the crowd along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov., Ralph Northam, during an October rally in Richmond, Va. (Photo: Steve Helber/AP)With the recent Democratic wins in traditional bellwether gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, a massive pickup-in the Virginia Legislature, wins in several mayoral races and other assorted gains, the pundits appear locked into the narrative that we are headed for a wave election. This would follow the pattern we have seen previously, in which the mid-term elections serve as rebalancing against the party in power. But what does all this mean for California?
iIllustration: "The Great Wave of Kanagawa," Katsushika Hokusai, circa 1829-1833Will California catch the wave? In fact, is there a wave at all? Political Data whiz Paul Mitchell joins the Capitol Weekly podcast to talk about last week’s results in Virginia and elsewhere and what they portend for California in 2018.
Laboratory testing of HCV. (Photo: Jarun Ontakrai, via Shutterstock)Millennials haven’t inherited the best batch of goods from baby boomers. They got a housing crisis, a shaky job market, and some enormous student loans. But until recently, viral hepatitis was the burden of boomers alone to bear. Now, millennials are also facing an outbreak of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).
Suggested options for a California pro-choice license plate.Twenty-eight states currently offer “Choose Life” license plates, but California may be the first state in the country offering solely pro-choice plates. The plate would join 14 other special-interest license plates that raise money for a number of agencies, including the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Arts Council, California Coastal Commission and Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Conservancy.
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at a GOP fund raising event for Mitt Romney. (Photo: Mavrick, Shutterstock)OPINION: The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to vacate the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has implications for California and its anti-corruption statute. The trial jury found that McDonnell performed official acts in exchange for gifts. But the Supreme Court decided that the jury was incorrectly instructed on the definition of the “official act” element of the federal corruption statute.
Former Legislators Nancy Skinner and Sandre Swanson at a candidates' debate in the 9th Senate District. (Photos: Sam-Omar HallThe race to represent the East Bay in the California Senate is going to be a doozy. In this liberal district, a Democrat is almost certain to retain the seat held by termed-out incumbent Loni Hancock. The question is: which Democrat?
Toni AtkinsFor Toni Atkins, a coal miner’s daughter and the first in her family to graduate from college, the road from Virginia coal country to San Diego to Speaker of the state Assembly has been long and winding. She’ll be leading the lower house despite concerns – at least in the north state – that an old tradition over equitable leadership distribution between Northern and Southern California. (Photo: League of California Cities)