Just released voter registration numbers show an increase in voter registration statewide, with gains for Democrats and a marked increase in no party preference registrants. Listen to this article: The Secretary of State released new numbers today for voter registration as of Oct. 1, 2019. State records show that...
Will Congress Embrace Ag Labor Bill With Path to Legalized Status?
A farm labor bill that would make undocumented workers eligible for visas and provide a path to long-term residency has won the support of Valley lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday. The bipartisan list of co-sponsors includes...
California Rep. Katie Hill Resigns Amid Ethics Investigation
WASHINGTON — Freshman Rep. Katie Hill, a rising Democratic star in the House, announced her resignation amid an ethics probe, saying explicit private photos of her with a campaign staffer had been "weaponized" by her husband and political operatives. The California Democrat, 32, had been hand-picked for a coveted leadership seat. But...
Ethics Panel Opens Investigation of Rep. Katie Hill
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday opened an investigation into Rep. Katie Hill after a conservative website published unsubstantiated accusations that she had an improper relationship with a staffer. The bipartisan leadership of the Ethics panel announced the probe of the freshman California Democrat, noting "public allegations" that...
Trump Likens House Impeachment Inquiry to 'A Lynching'
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump triggered outrage Tuesday by comparing the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry to a lynching, assigning the horrors of a deadly and racist chapter in U.S. history to a process laid out in the Constitution. "That is one word no president ought to apply to himself," said Democratic Rep. James...
California Adopts Broadest US Rules for Seizing Guns
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a law that will make the state the first to allow employers, co-workers and teachers to seek gun violence restraining orders against other people. The bill was vetoed twice by former governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and goes beyond a measure that...
Depositions and More: What to Watch on Impeachment This Week
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are marching forward with their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, with more depositions coming this week. Democrats are moving quickly to interview key witnesses and lock down information as they explore the question of whether the Republican president compromised national security or abused his office by seeking...
Newsom Vetoes SB 1 Environmental Bill Criticized as "Job Killer"
Gov. Gavin Newsom angered some allies on Friday by vetoing a bill aimed at blunting federal rollbacks of clean air and endangered species regulations in the state. The governor's action comes two weeks after the passage of SB 1 in the final hours of the state's legislative session. The bill...
The Deciders: Meet the Lawmaker Behind New Gig Economy Law
By Byrhonda Lyons and Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, is among California’s more powerful state lawmakers and an ally of labor unions. This year, she led the fight to win new protections for gig workers, and won passage of a landmark workplace bill, AB 5....
Walters: Dems Ignore Voters’ Decisions
In politics, as in sports, rules of the game often influence, or even dictate, who wins and who loses. Just as professional sports leagues are wracked by internal conflict over playing rules, California’s politicians and interest groups joust constantly over campaign contribution limits, redrawing of legislative and congressional districts, voter...