Political Stories Top stories House Republicans reopen the bidding on California water bill — House Republicans intent on storing more California water and redirecting it to farms have resurrected some familiar and controversial ideas, this time as part of a must-pass spending bill. The provisions, including a freeze on an ambitious San Joaquin River restoration program […]

Political Stories Top stories California Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill to boost paid family leave — Continuing his recent embrace of liberal-backed policies to put more money in workers’ pockets, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation boosting the compensation of Californians taking paid family leave. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; AP article; San […]

Political Stories Top stories California ballot measure signature bonanza continues — With a suggested filing deadline later this month, proponents of would-be November ballot measures continue to shell out big bucks to try to collect hundreds of thousands of voter signatures. As of late last week, signature-gatherers were paying $5.50 a signature for an initiative […]

Political Stories Top stories Some cry foul as state lawmakers collect public pension checks and legislator’s salaries — Republican state Sen. John Moorlach of Costa Mesa has emerged as a leading voice in the Legislature against skyrocketing debt piled up by public pension systems. But some in the pension reform movement say the former Orange County […]

Political Stories Top stories Jerry Brown: California prisons ‘too often run’ by criminal gangs — Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday that criminal gangs “too often run” California prisons or hold undue influence over them, as he scrambles to qualify a ballot measure to make certain prisoners eligible for early parole. Sacramento Bee article  Dan Walters: Politicians gone […]

Political Stories Top stories AD 31: Election day arrives after intense 3-month campaign — Three months after Gov. Jerry Brown announced a special election in the 31st Assembly District, voters on Tuesday will go to the polls to select a replacement for Fresno Democrat Henry T. Perea. But it is nowhere near the end of the […]

Political Stories Top stories California governor set to approve highest minimum wage – California’s governor is setting in motion the most populous state’s climb toward the nation’s highest statewide minimum wage of $15 an hour to take effect by 2022. AP article  George Skelton: The do-something Legislature outshines a do-nothing Congress – The California public’s view of the […]

Political Stories Top stories  AD 31: Contentious race has statewide implications — For Republicans, it’s the best chance in decades to steal away the 31st District, which has been in Democratic Party hands for 40 years.  For Democrats, there is the strong desire of Rendon to start his tenure on the right foot. Losing a seat […]

Political Stories Top stories Will California’s new minimum wage law make sense in Bakersfield? – The prospect of a $15 minimum in every corner of California has raised questions about what the impact will be in areas of the state where wage levels are significantly lower. In parts of the Central Valley and inland Southern California, […]