February 2016 | Page 5 of 7

Archive

Legislators Steer Clear of Super Bowl

Though just over 100 miles from the Capitol, state legislators showed no love for Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, at least not in person, likely an indictment of exorbitant ticket prices and an acknowledgement of ethics rules barring tickets

LAO raises doubts about teachers’ pension bailout

Chris Reed February 11, 2016

A new report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office is raising questions about the long-term effectiveness of the Legislature’s 2014 bailout of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which will nearly double annual funding to cover CalSTRS’ obligations when it

Popular vote by 2020?

Matt Fleming February 11, 2016

Though it means nothing for 2016, the 2020 presidential election may be decided by popular vote — or at least that’s the timeline given by one of the main proponents. As it stands now, there really is no national election for

June ballot measure “orphaned,” but poised to pass

Matt Fleming February 10, 2016

While dozens of measures are vying to make it on the November general election ballot, one proposal is ready for the June primary — even though no one is campaigning for or against it. Proposition 50 is a constitutional amendment empowering legislators to

Chavez drops Senate campaign, recommits to Assembly

Matt Fleming February 9, 2016

In dramatic fashion, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez announced Monday he was suspending his campaign to replace the retiring Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer while at a debate for that seat. “I think the best role I can fill for the Republican Party and

CA lawmakers plot CPUC’s demise

James Poulos February 9, 2016

The California Public Utilities Commission may not live to see the next presidential election. Under a new proposal put forth by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, the new chairman of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce, the CPUC — long under

Democratic Party faces restive CA activists

James Poulos February 8, 2016

Disgruntled Democratic activists in California have begun to buck the national party in key races this election year. After a string of failures in several central valley campaigns, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has come in for scorn by increasingly independent party members

Spotlight uncomfortable for San Francisco police

Chris Reed February 7, 2016

The global spotlight on the Bay Area created by Super Bowl 50 couldn’t have come at a worse time for the San Francisco Police Department. The fatal December shooting of Mario Woods, a young African American stabbing suspect who was

CA poised for higher primary profile

James Poulos February 6, 2016

Accustomed to languishing at the tail end of the party primary calendar — a dispiriting position for a state that has long been treated as an ATM for East Coast candidates seeking national office — Californians have awoken this year to the

Kochs’ CA donor conclave reflects uneasy race

James Poulos February 6, 2016

With the Republican primary race for the presidential nomination still remarkably fluid, donors and campaign heavyweights gathered under the Koch brothers’ aegis in the California desert to discuss — and possibly shape — the party’s political future. The event, located