Ricardo Lara

A Democratic bid to extend government health coverage to all undocumented, low-income adults in California has been put on hold. Lawmakers now hope to cover at least the seniors and the disabled.

Good morning, California. House Speaker Paul Ryan may not care about California potholes and doesn’t have to pay the new gas tax for road repairs. But the Wisconsin Republican has given $50,000 to a proposed initiative to repeal the new 12-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax, evidently believing it will draw Republicans to the polls in November and […]

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 […]

California climate policies earn an international award at the U.N conference in Bonn.

Update: On Oct 5, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a scaled-down version of SB 29— placing a moratorium on local governments entering into new immigration detention contracts with federal immigration authorities or private corporations.  Trash-strewn cells, moldy showers, broken telephones, excessive use of solitary confinement, and “slimy, foul-smelling lunch meat.” These are the conditions that detainees […]