Politics and Elections

Harris campaign makes moves to reduce costs

The Senate campaign of California Attorney General Kamala Harris has displeased Democratic insiders, who worry that their leading candidate to replace Sen. Barbara Boxer hasn’t run a tight enough ship. Spokesman Nathan Click recently admitted the operation was “changing campaign

Tragedy could boost Newsom’s gun-control push

Chris Reed December 6, 2015

The slaughter of 14 people at a San Bernardino conference center Wednesday morning by two heavily armed Islamic extremists could provide a boost to Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s planned 2016 ballot initiative imposing stricter gun-control laws on California. Wednesday afternoon,

Plethora of Initiatives Headed Toward 2016 Ballot

Joel Fox December 6, 2015

According to the recent Public Policy Institute of California poll, state residents like the initiative process but think too many initiatives appear on the ballot. To borrow a line from Al Jolson: “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” Of the

Democrat lawmaker resigns to explore job market

John December 3, 2015

A Fresno Democrat, who has frequently authored legislation on behalf of major interest groups, will resign his position in the state Legislature to take a job advocating in the Capitol. Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, a Central Valley Democrat, announced Tuesday his resignation

Gavin Newsom transforms Lt. Governor’s post

John December 1, 2015

A lieutenant governor’s only job, the old joke goes, is to wake up every morning and check the governor’s pulse. The position has been considered so pointless that even Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for eliminating the post in 2012.

CA Congressional delegation divided on refugees as crisis spikes

James Poulos November 27, 2015

Key Democrats in California’s Congressional delegation broke with President Obama on refugee policy, handing Congressional Republicans a veto-proof majority vote against him. “An Obama administration push urging lawmakers to oppose legislation that would effectively halt a program for refugees from Syria and Iraq failed

Gitsham among possible CA GOP Congressional ‘Young Guns’

James Poulos November 23, 2015

Campaign funding from the national level could flow to California Republicans hoping to land a seat in Congress on election day. “Four Republican candidates running for open or Democratic-held House seats in California are ‘on the radar’ for spots in the

Key divides vex CA Democrats

James Poulos November 18, 2015

As the dominant political party of California, Democrats have begun to fall victim to one of the more humbling rules of power: When your team has few tough battles to fight, it often turns on itself. From politics to economics and

Cal Chamber scorecard

Joel Fox November 16, 2015

The California Chamber of Commerce released its tally of legislators’ floor votes on 15 bills that the chamber determined were crucial to the business community. Checking the scorecard, a telltale story from the chamber’s perspective is not who was for

2018 gubernatorial race already heating up

James Poulos November 11, 2015

Still more than two years away, the race to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 has already become one of the most closely watched competitions in California politics. It has made adversaries of the state’s two highest-profile personifications of its two biggest