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California voters poised to legalize marijuana

Despite a mixed bag of support for the many propositions on California’s voluminous ballot, legalized recreational in-state marijuana use appears to be headed from far-off dream to dawning reality. “Last month, the two most prestigious California public opinion outfits

CA GOP pivots to save down ballot races

James Poulos November 3, 2016

The shifts and splits that have long beleaguered the California Republican Party have culminated in historic unpopularity this election year, presenting officials with an open question as to how the party can best retool in the wake of Donald

Air Resources Board plots new zero-emission vehicle plan

James Poulos November 2, 2016

California’s environmental regulators have revisited their credit program for zero emissions vehicles, which hasn’t done enough to position the state for the kind of carbon savings needed to meet future targets. The zero-emissions subsidy hasn’t suffered from a lack of

Democrats leave incumbent assemblywoman high and dry

Matt Fleming November 1, 2016

Parties and legislative leaders always protect their incumbents. Well, maybe not always, as is the case with Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, a pariah in the Democratic Party since she knocked off Raul Bocanegra, a popular incumbent, two years ago. Up for re-election

San Diego council chief trying to quickly push through Airbnb ‘ban’

Steven Greenhut November 1, 2016

A common spectacle takes place at the state Capitol at the end of every session. Legislative leaders who have been unsuccessful advancing their bills through the usual system move them ahead instead through the gut-and-amend process. Language from an innocuous

Attorney General Harris conducting investigation of Wells Fargo

James Poulos October 31, 2016

Attorney General Kamala Harris has joined the growing pile-on against Wells Fargo’s improper business dealings. “California’s attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation into whether employees at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo bank stole customers’ identities in the sales practices

Senate leader’s endorsement of Prop. 63 ammo measure lacks backstory

Matt Fleming October 27, 2016

When Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon endorsed Proposition 63 last week, he didn’t mention the endorsement was conditional. This summer, the Los Angeles Democrat ushered through the Legislature a measure that substantially amends in advance the ballot measure’s

Pentagon halts CA National Guard repayment demands

James Poulos October 27, 2016

Reeling from outrage over a costly bureaucratic misstep, the Pentagon has halted its efforts to force California National Guardsmen to personally repay salary bonuses that should not have approved in the first place. As some observers concluded that only Congress could clean up

Former state senator sentenced to 42 months in prison for corruption

James Poulos October 27, 2016

Headed for a sizable jail term, ex-state Sen. Ronald Calderon, caught in a sting that laid bare his role in an influence-peddling scheme, has reached the likely end of his political career. Calderon, “once the most powerful member of a politically influential

Competing death-penalty measures revive old feud

Steven Greenhut October 25, 2016

SACRAMENTO – Thirty years ago, California voters did something unprecedented (and not seen since): They bounced Chief Justice Rose Bird from the supreme court. Two other state high-court justices also failed to win reconfirmation to the court, following an intense