Posts From Matt Fleming
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Matt Fleming
Union battles Caltrans over “inadequate” new office space, $1.7 million partitions
A public employees’ union is questioning Caltrans’ pricey decision to move one of its district offices from one side of Orange County to the other, noting the high cost of new cubicle partitions and the lack of space to accommodate new
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Prop. 54 legislative transparency measure faces little opposition
For all the fighting and million-dollar spending over November’s 17 ballot measures, one proposal stands nearly unopposed. Not entirely unopposed, but the committee against a measure aimed at making legislative proceedings in Sacramento more transparent is unfunded and run entirely by the pro
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Gov. Brown vetoes no-tax-on-tampons bill, host of others
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a package of bills on Tuesday that would have eliminated sales tax on tampons and diapers. In total, Brown killed seven niche tax cuts totaling around $300 million in revenue, arguing the tax cuts should be
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Gov. Brown signs controversial farmworker overtime bill
By 2022, California’s agriculture workers will have the same overtime pay structure as most other employees in the state after Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure into law on Monday. The bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, took to Twitter to
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Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia: Queenmaker, powerbroker
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia is mere months away from assuming the chairmanship of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. While her ascendancy will need to be formalized with a vote of caucus members after November’s election, the vice chair, which Garcia is, has
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Democratic Senate candidate courts the right, walks fine line
On the heels of a Los Angeles Times story saying she was making a play for voters on the right, Democratic Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez is pushing Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a bill increasing minimum penalties in sexual assault cases.
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Despite several big environmental wins during last days of session, one big bill got away
Democrats will walk away from the two-year legislative session that ended Thursday morning with a long list of environmental accomplishments — but still one got away. A bill sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, would
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Cap-and-trade deal reached, heads to Gov. Brown for approval
Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators reached an agreement on Wednesday on what to do with around a billion dollars of cap-and-trade revenue. The deal was announced earlier in the day and was approved by dinner after a longstanding battle between legislative
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Assemblyman accused of wife beating receives awkward tribute from legislators
Over the last few days of the session, legislators pay tribute for their fellows who will not be in the chamber next year. And while the tributes range in length and tone — one legislator joked (?) about his romantic
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Legislature approves $50-per-month diaper benefit
Low-income Californians could soon receive a monthly, $50 benefit for diaper purchases, according to a bill approved by the Legislature on Tuesday. The monthly benefit would be given for each child two years old or younger, with a requirement that the
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