Jerry Brown

Politics

On Trump’s tax returns and maybe more, Newsom’s agenda isn’t Jerry Brown’s

Lawmakers stymied by Jerry Brown’s vetoes have introduced a raft of repeats — testing how much Gov. Newsom will depart from his predecessor.

By Laurel Rosenhall • July 30, 2019

Capitol

Newsom’s biggest budget win? Lawmakers didn’t break his heart

State budget negotiations began as a love fest, but that didn't last long. How did rookie Gov. Gavin Newsom's experience compare with Jerry Brown's?

By Laurel Rosenhall • June 26, 2019

Justice

As Newsom rethinks juvenile justice, California reconsiders prison for kids

Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking California's shrinking juvenile detention system away from the adult corrections bureaucracy and shifting it into the system for social services.

By Charlotte West • June 13, 2019

Capitol

Mischief managed? Push for 4 a.m. last call gets a fresh shot with winemaker Gavin Newsom

A bill that would allow 10 California cities to extend last call at bars from 2 to 4 a.m. has a fresh shot at making it to the governor's desk. Will Sen. Scott Wiener's SB 58 get a friendlier reception from winemaker-turned-governor Gavin Newsom?

By Adria Watson • May 23, 2019

Economy

Weakling or bully? The battle over CEQA, the state’s iconic environmental law

Inside the Capitol’s corridors and pro-development quarters around the state, the California Environmental Quality Act is increasingly disparaged as a villain in the state’s housing crisis. But the act’s environmentalist defenders are pushing back, saying many projects slip too easily through—leading to overdrawn groundwater tables and disappearing forests. And whatever the urgency to build more housing, environmentalists say there’s nothing to preempt a rigorous review of commercial proposals—even ones as visually appealing as vineyards in the Napa Valley.

By Alastair Bland • May 13, 2019

Newsletters

Huge surplus, mental illness, the Delta tunnel, and facial recognition

Huge budget surplus to benefit schools, Gov. Gavin Newsom vows to fight homelessness, new fees proposed to ensure access to clean water

By Dan Morain • May 10, 2019

Capitol

5 takeaways from Newsom’s revised budget plan

Buoyed by California’s strong economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent state lawmakers a revised budget on Thursday that boosts his already-hefty January proposal to $213.6 billion. Ka-ching! Public schools will reap most of the gains if the Democratic-controlled Legislature rolls with him. Newsom also upped his ante on the housing crisis with a proposed $1 billion […]

By Judy Lin • May 9, 2019

Justice

A Capitol Crime: How a 16-year-old murder reached California’s highest offices

Gov. Jerry Brown's grant of clemency to the brother-in-law of Speaker Anthony Rendon underscores not just Brown's thinking, but California's evolution on crime and punishment.

By Dan Morain • May 9, 2019

Elections

Can they do that? California Dems again try to force Trump to show his taxes

California Democrats are advancing a bill that would require any presidential candidate (see: Donald Trump) to disclose his tax returns if they want to make it onto the state primary ballot next year. Good blue state politics—but is it legal?

By Ben Christopher • May 6, 2019

Capitol

Later school bells, alternative testing: California lawmakers try again on quashed K-12 bills

From later school start times to lower thresholds for parcel taxes, California lawmakers see a second chance with Gov. Gavin Newsom to pass education bills quashed by former Gov. Jerry Brown.

By Ricardo Cano • April 18, 2019