The California Democratic Party is a multimillion dollar powerhouse whose endorsements and campaign cash can make or break a politician's aspirations for state or federal office. The party, as it turns out, also regularly throws its weight around on individual pieces of legislation in the California Capitol, where Democrats hold...
Fighting Wildfire With ‘Good Fire.’ California Must Return to Prescribed Burns.
It has become second nature to scan the horizon for smoke as soon as you leave the house. All ranchers do that almost subconsciously. They fear fire. Uncontrolled fire with high winds. The acrid smell of smoke that begins to grip your nose as you search for the source. There...
‘Cold-Blooded’ Nancy Pelosi Was Key to Nudging Biden Out
When the dam of discontented Democrats calling upon President Joe Biden to suspend his flagging presidential campaign finally broke last week, Rep. Nancy Pelosi was standing at the floodgates. Pelosi stepped down from being speaker of the House in 2022. Technically, that makes her a mere congressional backbencher from San...
Hot, Inland California Cities Face the Steepest Water Cuts With New Conservation Mandate
Facing a future of shortages, California is entering a new phase of water conservation: Cities and towns must meet new mandates ramping down use over the next 15 years — and some will be hit harder than others. Approved two weeks ago, the new state rules require 405 cities and...
If Californians Vote to Ban Slavery This Fall, Will Prisoners Get a Raise?
Californians in the November election will vote on a ballot measure that would change the state Constitution to ban the practice of forced labor in jails and prisons, a proposal advocates say would wipe out a legacy of enslavement that dates to the 19th century. If Proposition 6 passes, correctional...
California Helped GOP Take Control of the House in 2022. Biden’s Decision Could Swing Districts in 2024.
As Democrats in California and across the country scramble to decide if they want President Joe Biden to remain in the race, a concerned U.S. Rep. Mike Levin of San Juan Capistrano had two options: Speak out, or hold back. Both were the wrong choice in the eyes of the...
California Sent a Mentally Ill Man to a State Hospital. Then It Charged Him $760,000
The first bill arrived in Sultan Khan's mailbox two years after his release from Napa State Hospital. Khan had received psychiatric treatment there for three years after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to a criminal charge stemming from an assault. He stared in disbelief at the paper in...
Gambling Interests Gave $1M to California Lawmakers. Did It Influence Their Votes?
California's tribal casinos won a key vote on a gambling bill earlier this month after showering members of an obscure legislative committee with more than $1 million in campaign donations since the start of last year. That included funneling $92,500 in campaign donations to key members of the committee in...
A Prison Union Is Spending Big on Gavin Newsom. Is It an ‘800 Pound Gorilla’ or a Threatened Species?
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, better known as CCPOA, represents about 26,000 state prison guards. It increased its political spending after Gov. Gavin Newsom took office. A year after he took the top job in 2019, the president of one of California's largest and most powerful unions said in...
CA Lawmakers’ Safety Gets New Attention After Trump Shooting
Former President Donald Trump evaded serious injury, or death, by mere centimeters after a bullet struck his upper right ear during a campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. The Republican presidential candidate pumped his fist, his face bloodied, as Secret Service agents hustled him off the stage following the shooting. Saturday’s...