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California Senate leader asked for Obama’s help on climate bill in 2015

Knowing that a major climate-change measure was in trouble, Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon sought help from the White House in 2015, according to a WikiLeaks email dump on Thursday. A transcript of a voicemail for John Podesta

Leaked emails show Clinton aides considered moving CA primary election

Matt Fleming October 21, 2016

Prominent Democratic strategists who would eventually get top posts in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign debated the political strategy of moving the date of California’s primary election, according to hacked emails recently released by WikiLeaks. In December 2014, prior to Clinton announcing

New poll shows uphill battle to end California death penalty

James Poulos October 21, 2016

Despite a broad trend toward increasing skepticism and opposition around capital punishment, California’s ballot initiative ending the practice faces a steep climb heading into November. The Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University, through the CALSPEAKS public-opinion project, found that

California Democrats tar opponents with Trump

James Poulos October 21, 2016

California Democrats have centered around a handful of Republican challengers they hope to tar with Donald Trump’s brush. Assemblymen Dante Acosta, R-San Bernardino, David Hadley, R-Torrance and Marc Steinorth, R-Redlands, Assemblywoman Young Kim, R-Fullerton, and state Senate candidate Mike Antonovich have all

Sanchez hits Harris’ record on mortgage settlement in Senate race

Matt Fleming October 20, 2016

Loretta Sanchez on Thursday attacked Kamala Harris’ record on the 2012 mortgage crisis settlement, saying it was not the major accomplishment the state’s attorney general claims. The two Democrats are running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. With the election

Fee increases at air quality regulator fund expensive trips and more while consumer costs rise

Matt Fleming October 18, 2016

Not even a month after sending two dozen people on a pricey trip to New Orleans, a member of the board of directors of the Bay Area’s air quality regulator boasted that the agency was “flush” with cash. In July, the

State watchdog agency pushes for occupational licensing reform

Steven Greenhut October 18, 2016

SACRAMENTO – One of the rare issues where politicians on the left and right increasingly agree involves occupational-licensing requirements – the oftentimes cumbersome government-approval processes that many workers must go through to become certified to work legally in their profession.

How new CA voter demographic milestone will affect upcoming elections

James Poulos October 14, 2016

As early ballots arrive in mailboxes this week, Golden State voters will arrive at a symbolic and substantial demographic landmark: a so-called majority-minority electorate. “For the first time, non-Latino whites will fall below 50 percent of the state’s eligible voters,” as the California Civic Engagement Project predicted

Tesla aims to build 1 million cars annually by 2020

James Poulos October 13, 2016

High-flying clean-energy industrialist Elon Musk has doubled down on his production plans in California. Tesla, his auto company, “took a major step toward its ambitious goal of one day building 1 million cars a year by seeking to double the size

Does the Secure Choice state-run retirement plan guarantee against taxpayer bailouts?

Matt Fleming October 12, 2016

Arguably the biggest selling point for Secure Choice — the state-run, automatic retirement account measure signed into law last month — is the promise that taxpayers won’t be on the hook in the event of a loss. The law has several