Campaign Finance

Cannabis companies are hiring well-heeled lobbyists and donating money to politicians.

Good Monday morning, California. Santa Barbara County has nearly 300 wineries, and has granted 730 cannabis cultivation permits, more than anywhere in the state. “The cannabis situation in Lompoc has created a challenge for many wineries,” said Peter Work of Ampelos Cellars. — Santa Barbara Independent. Housing: What would candidates do? CALmatters asked the major […]

The candidate for California governor sees a path through the Central Valley to the November ballot.

Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa apparently believes his path to the governor's office runs through the San Joaquin Valley.

Antonio Villaraigosa raises big money in race for governor. Is it enough?

Welcome to the wild ways of campaign money, circa 2018.

(Update: On Oct. 7 Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law AB 249, meaning campaigns will now have to be more transparent about the source of their funding.)   Who pays for all those political ads that bombard voters every election season? An effort to make the answer clearer to the public is squeezing California Democrats […]

“Make-up money” is what it’s called in Sacramento—the contributions that flow to newly-elected officials from interest groups that backed a losing candidate during the campaign. It’s a completely legal way of saying, in political terms, “Let’s kiss and make up.”