Politics

Women who work in California politics gathered in the historic Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento for a #WinLikeAGirl networking event paid for by the state Democratic party on February 11, 2016. All photos by Max Whittaker for CALmatters. Cynthia Bryant (holding microphone, executive director of the California Republican Party) and Shawnda Westly (at right, senior strategist […]

#WinLikeAGirl at the Governor’s Mansion Click here to see more photos from the bipartisan networking event for women in California politics.   Photos decorating the Political Solutions lobbying firm look like those inside many similar businesses in Sacramento. One shows a firm partner on the golf course with a former assembly speaker. In another, three […]

Several times in the last year, Assemblyman Eric Linder (R-Corona) pushed the green “Yes” button on his desk when most of his Republican colleagues pressed “No.” He broke from his party to vote for labor-backed bills requiring more disclosure of health care rates, new layoff protections for civil servants and a system for workers to […]

When President Barack Obama announced last month that he is taking executive action to ban the solitary confinement of juveniles in federal prisons, it was a rare case of Washington setting policy more liberal than what comes out of Sacramento. In California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature, bills to restrict the use of solitary confinement on youth have […]

In 1976, a year into his first term as governor, Jerry Brown signed a bill that came to be seen as one of the strongest environmental protection laws in the country. The California Coastal Act limited development along the 1,100-mile shoreline and guaranteed public access to the beach. Yet just two years later, Brown had […]

Is it safe for children to play on fields made of ground up old tires? Recycled tires on California parks The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery gives grants to communities that use products made of recycled tires in their construction projects. Here are a few that won grants for using the substance known […]

Gov. Jerry Brown fired the opening salvo of California’s budget season on Jan. 7 when he unveiled his spending proposal for the fiscal year that will start July 1. While the final state budget will likely look much different in June when it is scheduled to be adopted by the Legislature, Brown’s proposal is the […]

Lobbyists in Sacramento talk about the “inside game” and the “outside game.” The inside game is the one they play under the Capitol dome: testifying in committee hearings, meeting with legislative staff, nabbing lawmakers in the hallway on the way to a crucial vote. “Other” lobbying is huge – and hard to track An excerpt […]

A culture clash separates California’s Capitol from the Silicon Valley companies that are transforming the state’s economy. Technology entrepreneurs move fast, and see rewards for disrupting the status quo. In Sacramento, however, decisions unfurl slowly, with lots of pressure to keep things the way they are. The divide is significant because the stakes are high: […]

Shortly after the new year begins, Gov. Jerry Brown will declare a special election to fill a vacant spot in the Legislature. The election will cost Fresno County, one of the poorest areas of the state, more than $500,000. A small fraction of voters will likely participate, creating the potential that the seat flips parties […]