Political Stories Top stories Pot backers hope California vote will pressure Congress to ease laws — Marijuana advocates are counting on Californians to vote to legalize recreational weed this fall, bringing pressure on Congress to end anti-pot policies that include federal obstruction of banks doing business with the industry. California is nearly six times larger than […]
Political Stories Top stories With cap and trade in doubt, key questions go unanswered – In Sacramento and elsewhere, fundamental questions about the program’s effectiveness are unanswered, and criticism has been growing over how billions of dollars from auctions of emissions “credits” are doled out. Many of the complaints echo an admonition familiar to schoolchildren: Show […]
Political Stories Top stories House passes bill to save Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta salmon — Lawmakers are targeting striped bass in a farmer-backed effort to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s salmon while trimming a 1992 environmental law. In what amounts to a multi-pronged move, the House on Tuesday night approved a bill by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, […]
Political Stories Top stories California drug price plan is criticized by patient advocates — A state ballot initiative meant to lower prescription drug prices for California faces an expected opponent: the pharmaceutical industry, which has spent almost $70 million to defeat it. But concerns are also coming from a more curious source: some patient advocacy groups. New York […]
Political Stories Top stories Dan Walters: United States’ 240th birthday finds politics in a dismal state — The nation’s 240th birthday is an appropriate moment to ponder the state of its political system – and it’s a pretty dismal picture. Walters column in Sacramento Bee A push – and pushback – for new diversity rules in California’s business […]
Political Stories Top stories Report says Fresno Latinos among least likely to vote statewide – According to the report, Latino gaps in voting are most pronounced in counties of inland California, including Fresno, Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino. For Asian Americans, gaps in voting are greatest in the Bay Area counties of San Mateo, Alameda, Santa […]
Political Stories Top stories Gov. Jerry Brown signs bulk of sweeping gun-control package into law, vetoes five bills — Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed six gun-control bills into law, including a requirement that ammunition purchasers undergo background checks. The governor vetoed five other measures, including an expansion of the use of restraining orders to take guns […]
Political Stories Top stories California lawmakers send sweeping gun package to Gov. Brown – California’s Democrat-controlled Legislature on Thursday approved far-reaching bills to bolster the state’s strong gun restrictions, sending Gov. Jerry Brown a package of measures revived after the deadly attack last year in San Bernardino. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; San Jose Mercury News article; KQED report National […]
Political Stories Top stories Ballot measure threatens bullet train, Delta tunnels – Two of Gov. Jerry Brown’s favorite projects — building a high-speed rail system and a pair of massive tunnels under the Delta — face a serious threat if California voters pass a measure heading for the November ballot. The “No Blank Checks Initiative,” bankrolled with […]
