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L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti announces he won’t run for California governor

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Sunday night that he will not enter the California governor’s race, posting on Twitter that he wants to continue the work he is doing at City Hall. “We have a lot of work left to do

California Senate bringing in outside firms to investigate sexual harassment allegations

Drew Gregory Lynch October 26, 2017

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, announced on Tuesday that the state Senate will hire outside firms to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct at the Capitol in Sacramento – allegations referenced in an open letter signed by women claiming

Gavin Newsom announces new plan calling for housing boom

Steven Greenhut October 25, 2017

SACRAMENTO – If the past is any guide, California’s Legislature will declare its recently passed housing-affordability package a success and move on to the many other priorities that dominate Capitol discussions once lawmakers return in January. But the housing package

Gov. Brown vetoes few bills – latest ones get conservative praise

Steven Greenhut October 20, 2017

SACRAMENTO – California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed only 118 of the 957 bills that came before his desk in the recently concluded legislative session, but some of his final vetoes earned a great deal of attention and praise – even

California Democrats brace for intra-party battle after Kevin de León announces bid to unseat Feinstein

Drew Gregory Lynch October 16, 2017

Amid intense calls from progressives for a primary opponent for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., state Senate Pro Tem Kevin de León confirmed Sunday he will mount a challenge against the longtime incumbent, setting up a rare fight among Democrats

Northern California fires may hammer tourism, add to housing crisis

Chris Reed October 16, 2017

The deadly and massively destructive wildfires now in their second week of ravaging Northern California’s wine country are likely to have lengthy negative effects on the region’s economy. But it could also exacerbate perhaps its most pressing social problem – housing

Gov. Brown signs major bills, including ones that expand workplace benefits

Steven Greenhut October 12, 2017

SACRAMENTO – In his veto message of two bills that would have banned smoking at California state parks and beaches, Gov. Jerry Brown argued that there must be “some limit to the coercive power of government.” Nevertheless, in a sea

After Feinstein announces run for re-election, progressives push for a primary challenger

Drew Gregory Lynch October 11, 2017

Just hours after U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced she was running for re-election, progressives in the state called for a primary challenge to the long-serving Democrat. For example, Bay Area Congressman Ro Khanna, D-Calif., reportedly asked Rep. Barbara Lee,

CalPERS critic makes runoff for CalPERS board

Chris Reed October 10, 2017

The underfunded California Public Employees’ Retirement System faces daunting challenges in coming years, with local governments increasingly vocal about not being able to afford the ever-growing cost of their CalPERS-managed pension programs, as CalWatchdog reported July 20. The nation’s largest

Officials wrestle with ways to boost California’s voter turnout

Steven Greenhut October 4, 2017

SACRAMENTO – Does California have a voter turnout problem? The state’s voter-turnout rates hit the skids in the 2014 election cycles, with only 25 percent of registered voters casting a ballot in the June primary and only 42 percent voting