20May

May 20, 2016

Political Stories Top stories California Senate approves broad new gun restrictions — The California Senate on Thursday passed 11 bills aimed at strengthening the state’s firearms regulations, already some of the strictest in the nation, and giving the Legislature leverage to negotiate with backers of a proposed gun-safety ballot initiative. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; San Jose Mercury […]

19May

May 19, 2016

Political Stories Top stories Education fight over ‘shades of Democrat’ — A group that lobbies to change public education is pouring money into a handful of Northern California legislative races ahead of the June 7 election, aiming to influence the kind of Democrats who hold power in the state Capitol. CALmatters article Democrats rally behind gun control […]

18May

May 18, 2016

Political Stories Top stories  California water bill: Here’s why it’s so hard for Congress to pass — Five years into California’s latest drought, a major water bill compromise can seem as far away as ever. The perennial conflict, often summed up as fish vs. farms, subtly surfaced again Tuesday at a key Senate hearing. A Western […]

17May

May 17, 2016

Political Stories Top stories Bid to raise California cigarette tax by $2 a pack submits signatures — A well-financed campaign backed by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, medical groups and organized labor said Monday that it collected more than 1 million signatures for a ballot measure to raise California’s cigarette tax by $2 a pack. AP article; San Francisco […]

16May

May 16, 2016

Political Stories Top stories California November ballot will have as many as 18 measures — California voters this fall will likely wade through the longest list of state propositions since Bill Clinton was president, a sizable batch of proposed laws that is likely to spark a record amount of campaign spending. LA Times article Lots of transportation measures are headed to November […]

15May

May 15, 2016

Political Stories Top stories Dan Walters: Jerry Brown sees budget trouble for California, wants to hold line — Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his revised budget on Friday the 13th, which implies that he’s not superstitious. However, amid signs of a cooling economy – and therefore flattening revenue – Brown’s run of fiscal luck may be ending, and he […]

14May

May 14, 2016

Political Stories Top stories  Jerry Brown’s budget predicts slowdown in California revenue — Days after the state’s biggest revenue month fell significantly short of his office’s expectations, Gov. Jerry Brown released a $169.3 billion revised spending plan Friday that assumes nearly $2 billion less revenue through June 2017, with the governor warning that people need to […]

13May

May 13, 2016

Political Stories Top stories California irrigation-drainage disputes targeted in new bill – California’s tireless water warriors have something fresh to fight over, with the introduction of a bill to resolve an irrigation drainage dispute that affects three modest-sized San Joaquin Valley water districts, as well as the much bigger Westlands Water District. The bill by Rep. […]

12May

May 12, 2016

Political Stories Top stories  Union coalition campaigns to extend income tax increases – A group of unions, hospitals and doctors said Wednesday it will turn in more than enough signatures to qualify a ballot initiative asking Californians to extend for another 12 years a tax increase on the wealthy that was pitched to voters four years […]

11May

May 11, 2016

Political Stories Top stories  California tax revenues fall below estimates as budget talks get under way — California’s economy is still growing – but at a slower pace than it has been. And that’s having a similar effect on state budget revenues, leaving Gov. Jerry Brown with less money to work with when he releases his […]