Politics and Elections

Political ethics law to get overhaul soon

After 42 years of regulating the state’s political ethics, with countless updates and tweaks, the Political Reform Act is due for an overhaul — and stakeholders are set to begin the process next week. On Thursday, July 14, Fair Political

Sacramento stabbings heighten populist and nationalist tensions

James Poulos June 30, 2016

A group tied to the neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements found itself at the center of a bloody political firestorm in Sacramento, heightening election-year populist and nationalist tensions. A few dozen members of the Traditionalist Worker Party did battle with

CA Democrats line up to back marijuana legalization

James Poulos June 30, 2016

The executive board of the California Democratic Party has endorsed recreational marijuana, throwing its support behind the ballot measure that has won the support of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Meeting recently in Long Beach, the board voted in favor of the

Why does Hugh Hefner keep contributing to this Senate candidate?

Matt Fleming June 29, 2016

Sure as the sun rises every morning, every election cycle Playboy legend Hugh Hefner gives to Loretta Sanchez’s congressional races. In fact, Playboy’s editor in chief is one of the Orange County Democrat’s top donors this cycle, having given $10,400

Speaker, initiative committee spar over transparency measure

Matt Fleming June 28, 2016

A war of words erupted in recent days between the proponents of a transparency ballot measure and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, after members of the Legislature and legislative counsel dismissed the measure as full of “ambiguities” and introduced their own

Dislike of Clinton, Trump creates third-party moment

Matt Fleming June 27, 2016

If there was ever an opportunity for a third-party run, now would be it. Unfavorable opinions among voters of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — the presumptive presidential candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively — create a

Congressman Darrell Issa faces tough political fight for re-election

Matt Fleming June 21, 2016

Is Congressman Darrell Issa really in reelection trouble? Not that long ago, the Vista Republican was on top of the political world. Through his former perch atop the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa stood as the face of GOP opposition

Study: Auto voter registration adds 2 million voters in first year

Matt Fleming June 15, 2016

California’s electorate could grow by more than 2 million voters once a new law implementing automatic registration through the DMV starts working in 2017, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, predicts that

Lawmakers counter ballot proposal with watered down transparency measures

Matt Fleming June 14, 2016

Lawmakers will consider two transparency bills on Wednesday in an effort to head off a ballot measure that would go to greater lengths. The Constitutional Legislative Transparency Act, backed by Republican donor Charles T. Munger, Jr., is a constitutional amendment

Republicans in Legislature poised to increase diversity in 2016

Matt Fleming June 11, 2016

Buried beneath the headlines of Donald Trump’s comments of the day and the relatively new top-two primary format that weeded out Republicans from a statewide partisan race for the first time ever rests one nugget of good news for the