Political Stories – Top stories Dan Walters: Donald Trump forces a California water deal without lifting a finger — A compromise bill that, in effect, reallocates federally controlled water in California – much to the delight of farmers and the dismay of environmentalists – won final congressional approval Friday. Hammered out by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Bakersfield’s Kevin […]
Political Stories – Top stories A problem ‘too big to ignore’ – how years of congressional wrangling led to a water compromise — It took years of negotiations, and the right political timing, to bring the first major water policy affecting California in decades through the House and Senate. Over frayed feelings and filibuster threats, both chambers overwhelmingly […]
Political Stories – Top stories House approves California water plan that splits state’s Democratic senators — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the biggest federal reset of California water use in a generation, setting the stage for easier dam-building, more recycling and potentially happier Central Valley farmers. McClatchy Newspapers article; Visalia Times-Delta article; Sacramento Bee editorial: ‘Feinstein, McCarthy strike water […]
Political Stories – Top stories If feds try to ID deportable immigrants using Cal data, state will block access — California is preparing for the possibility that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump—who campaigned on a promise to deport at least 2 million people—might demand access to various state databases that would reveal the names and locations of undocumented […]
Political Stories – Top stories White House won’t support California water bill that’s already divided its senators — The White House on Tuesday voiced doubts about controversial California water legislation that has already caused an unusually public split between the state’s two Democratic senators. Meeting with reporters, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the California provisions that […]
Political Stories – Top stories Democrats in California Legislature to take on Trump by wading into immigration debate — With President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric on illegal immigration still fresh on their minds, legislative Democrats have readied a pair of proposals they believe will offer some immigrants additional legal help. LA Times article Dan Walters: Sometimes there are political fireworks when the Legislature […]
Political Stories – Top stories Jerry Brown picks Rep. Xavier Becerra as California attorney general — Gov. Jerry Brown has tabbed Rep. Xavier Becerra to serve as California’s interim attorney general, selecting the Los Angeles Democrat to fill a vacancy opened by the imminent departure of outgoing Attorney General Kamala Harris to the U.S. Senate. Sacramento Bee article; LA […]
Political Storie – Top stories Morally torn over state executions, will Gov. Jerry Brown ever permit one? — Although he has served as governor longer than anyone else in California history, Jerry Brown has never been forced to make one of the weightiest decisions governors face: whether to spare a convicted criminal from execution. CALmatters article Supreme Court […]
Political Stories – Top stories California Democrats got their supermajority. Now what? — Broadening the path to long-sought deals on affordable housing, transportation infrastructure and climate change, California Democrats have again captured a two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Legislature. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article Joel Fox: Kevin McCarthy: California’s connection to new Washington power — Election results […]
Political Stories – Top stories George Skelton: Post-election, California Democrats still dominate and GOP has nowhere to go but up — The California Democratic and Republican parties both can be thankful this holiday. Democrats rule the roost in Sacramento. And Republicans can’t fall much lower. Democrats are in a prime position to soon start slipping off their perch. And the state GOP, […]
