Politics and Elections

Watchdog groups fight initiative fee hike

Unexpected bipartisan opposition has formed against a piece of legislation designed to cut down on California’s sometimes outrageous ballot initiatives. In addition to the left-leaning Consumer Watchdog organization, citizens’-rights groups like the California Taxpayers Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have mustered their

Contra Costa supervisors paid twice for vehicle costs

Chris Reed August 6, 2015

Some members of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors are facing sharp questions about their ethics and honesty over perceived double-dipping on car allowances, Dan Borenstein of the Bay Area News Group reports. At the behest of Supervisors Mary

Bullet train agency still slow to acquire land

Chris Nichols August 6, 2015

Buying land for California’s bullet train remains a slow and contentious process for the state’s high-speed rail agency — but the state’s top rail official said this week he doesn’t expect any “significant” project delays as a result. The California

GOP mega-donors gather in SoCal; meet with candidates and discuss policy

James Poulos August 5, 2015

Hosted by the organization bearing the Koch brothers’ name, Some 450 business leaders came together in Southern California to think through their policy priorities for 2016. At stake was nearly $890 million in funds to be allocated through the end of next year,

Large counties could be required to increase number of Supervisors

Joel Fox August 5, 2015

The idea of increasing representation by having fewer constituents per elected representative is getting some attention. On the state level, an initiative filed by John Cox proposes to reorganize state governance by molding a Neighborhood Legislature whose goal is to reduce campaign

Poll: 64% of Californians link drought to global warming

Chris Nichols July 30, 2015

A strong majority of Californians say they support tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions and more ambitious renewable energy goals to combat climate change, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said global

Trump incites divisive opinions in CA

James Poulos July 18, 2015

On the strength of an explosive presidential campaign that has pushed him out to an early lead in some polls of Republican contenders, Donald Trump has changed the political conversation in California, where members of both political parties have not hesitated

Referendums on passed legislation gain steam

Joel Fox July 18, 2015

Referendums on legislative actions may be making a comeback in California. Earlier this week, opponents of Senate Bill 277, the mandatory vaccination measure, began their quest to refer that legislative action to the voters for the November 2016 election. Already

Shooting returns CA to center of immigration fight

James Poulos July 8, 2015

A slaying in San Francisco has sparked a national furor over its status as a so-called “sanctuary city” for unlawfully present immigrants. In an area popular with tourists, a five-time deportee named Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez shot Kathryn Steinle as she walked

SCOTUS affirms power of initiative in redistricting case

Joel Fox June 29, 2015

The people can serve as legislators. In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court declared that an initiative by the voters to create a commission in Arizona to draw congressional districts was constitutional. California established a similar commission in