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Gov. Brown vetoes bill easing special election burdens on counties, voters

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill on Monday that would have allowed him and his successors to cancel a special election if there is only one candidate. Brown was concerned that while there may be only one candidate officially running,

Women poised for modest gains in legislative races

Matt Fleming July 26, 2016

Women make up more than half of California’s population, but only about one-fourth of the Legislature. And in November, that’s unlikely to change too much, according to a CalWatchdog analysis. While an October surprise, outside factor or just particularly good

State Controller fined for disclosure violations from 2014

Matt Fleming July 22, 2016

State Controller Betty Yee was fined $2,082 on Thursday by the state’s campaign ethics watchdog for violations during her 2014 run for office. The Fair Political Practices Commission found that in seven instances Yee’s state controller campaign did not file

Lawmakers perpetuate “system-is-rigged” narrative by honoring family members with awards, critics say

Matt Fleming July 21, 2016

At a time when voters are increasingly convinced the system is rigged, some state legislators are making that perception worse by giving district-wide awards to their family members, critics say. While it’s not uncommon for legislators to participate in award ceremonies recognizing

CA cops fuel FBI iris data collection

James Poulos July 21, 2016

After years of operating under the radar, the cover has been pulled back on an FBI program, centered around Southern California, to amass iris scan information in a federal database. “To create that pool of scans, the FBI has

CA Supreme Court removes obstacle to Delta tunnel project

James Poulos July 20, 2016

The California Supreme Court cleared a big obstacle to Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to tunnel more Delta water out of Northern California, allowing the Southland’s Metropolitan Water District to proceed with the purchase of estuary islands that would be key to speeding

Trump’s Republican National Convention chases CA dream

James Poulos July 18, 2016

Thanks to Donald Trump, California’s role at the Republican national convention in Cleveland has been dramatically expanded — out of proportion, some critics have suggested. The changes belied a calculated effort to shift the center of GOP gravity away

State attorney general and charter school haggle over education settlement

James Poulos July 18, 2016

California Senate candidate Kamala Harris has kicked over a hornet’s nest in a big but contentious settlement with the nation’s largest online charter school. Not only has K12 refused to admit wrongdoing, despite Harris’s public allegations, but the organization has also

University of California ups in-state admissions

James Poulos July 17, 2016

After weathering unprecedented criticism for its revenue-driven admissions policies, the University of California system has appeared to shift officials’ opinion back in its favor, unveiling a modest but symbolic uptick in admissions for in-state students — with an emphasis on certain

Californians approve of Brown, Obama and CA — country, not so much

Matt Fleming July 15, 2016

A majority of Californians approve of the job Gov. Jerry Brown is doing and think the state is on the right track, according to several Field Polls released this week. But the same correlation doesn’t extend to the perception of President Barack