Political Stories – Top stories A âsanctuary stateâ bill is raising heated debate among California lawmakers. Hereâs how it would work — The proposal, known as the âsanctuary stateâ bill, was sparked by the Trump administrationâs broadened deportation orders. It would expand so-called sanctuary city policies, prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies, including school police and security departments, […]
Political Stories Top stories Lawmakersâ side âarrangementsâ didnât start with California gas-tax bill — Last weekâs approval of major road-funding legislation wasnât the first time that other âarrangements,â in the words of Gov. Jerry Brown, helped seal the deal. Side pacts between governors, legislative leaders and select lawmakers, sometimes unspoken, played key roles in annual budget […]
Political Stories Top stories State lawmakers have spent a lot of time on professional sports stadiums â and they have little to show for it — With the Raiders deciding to leave Oakland for a $1.9-billion football stadium in Las Vegas, the carousel of moves and threats to move by Californiaâs professional sports teams appears […]
Political Stories Top stories George Skelton: Why are California legislators getting decent approval ratings? Theyâre getting things done — The California Legislature has achieved something I never expected to see again in my lifetime. Its public job approval rating has soared above 50%. Thatâs astronomical compared with the lawmakersâ wretched ratings of a few years ago. […]
Guests:Â PPIC Experts: Eric McGee, Shannon McConville, Caroline Danielson, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Sarah Bohn, Paul Warren, Magnus Lofstrom and Brandon Martin.
Political Stories Top stories  Gas-tax increase to pay for road repairs clears Legislature — The state Legislature on Thursday passed a sweeping $52 billion transportation plan that will raise California gas taxes after leaders struck deals with wavering lawmakers to fund road projects in their districts. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; San Francisco […]
Political Stories Top stories  Your gas costs â and pothole repair â depend on Jerry Brownâs political skills — As a young governor, Jerry Brown pilloried Proposition 13 as a âfraudâ and a ârip off,â and aligned himself against what became the landmark 1978 measure by Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann to cut property […]
Political Stories Top stories  Dan Walters: Will your income taxes in California go up under Trump? — This year, Californians â particularly affluent Californians â will deduct at least $100 billion in state and local taxes, primarily income taxes, from their federally taxable incomes, thus saving them at least $20 billion. Eliminating the deduction, […]
Political Stories Top stories Dan Walters: Jerry Brownâs gas tax increases still needs more votes — Gov. Jerry Brown and a powerful business-labor-local government coalition want more than $5 billion a year in new taxes and fees for highway maintenance and other transportation purposes. They unveiled the package last week and hope to move it […]
Political Stories Top stories For struggling Kern County, Trump means hope and change — The fundamental disagreements that made the 2016 election so divisive â and continue to roil the country into the third month of Trumpâs presidency â are dotted all over the dusty landscape. For Kern County, how Trumpâs presidency plays out could be […]
