California Politics & News
Stay updated with California news, including reporting, analysis, and commentary on state government, progressive overreach, and the conservative response to Golden State policies.
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- Opinion
Planned Parenthood Wants to Use California Bill to Silence Opposition
At Planned Parenthood’s behest, the California Assembly has passed AB 1671 on to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. AB 1671 amends a state anti-eavesdropping law to add criminal penalties for disclosing the confidential communications of a health care provider. The bill is designed to silence “undercover journalists” who might have reason to suspect foul play within…David Rosenthal -
- Opinion
How a New California Climate Law Will Strangle Manufacturing
California just hung up a big “Manufacturing Workers Need Not Apply” sign. It took the form of extended, stricter, and even less realistic carbon dioxide regulations. A new California bill extends legislation previously set to expire in 2020 and imposes dramatically deeper emissions cuts for 2030. Under the new measure, California must cut its carbon…David Kreutzer -
- Opinion
California Legislature Adopts Bill That Would Make It Tougher for Government to Take Your Stuff
The California Senate unanimously approved a landmark civil asset forfeiture reform package last week. If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, the bill would clamp down on one of the most pernicious practices in civil forfeiture: the bypassing of state law via the controversial federal equitable sharing program. It would also expand the range…Jason Snead -
- News
What Conservatives Did to Pull Off Religious Liberty Win in California
California conservatives won a surprise victory this week, changing a state assembly bill that would have curtailed the freedom of private religious colleges. “We literally were able to see tens of thousands of people mobilize to make calls and to write their legislators, and to participate in the political process,” William Jessup University President John…Andrew Egger -
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Obama Administration Coy on Expanding Obamacare to California Illegal Immigrants
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill to expand Obamacare to cover illegal immigrants, but now it’s up to the Obama administration to determine if the nation’s largest state will get an exemption related to a specific promise the president made when trying to sell the health care law. The Golden State will be asking…Fred Lucas -
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California Could Become the First State to Expand Coverage to Illegal Immigrants Under Obamacare
California state lawmakers are one step closer to expanding coverage under Obamacare to illegal immigrants, sending a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk that would allow those living in the state illegally to buy health insurance on the exchange with their own money. The California Legislature passed a bill last week setting in motion a…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
The Zombie Voter Apocalypse: California Refuses to Admit Its Voter Fraud Problem
Hollywood has always loved making films about the walking dead, but in Southern California it appears they have a real life problem with “zombie” voters. An investigation by CBSLA2 and KCAL9 found that hundreds of deceased persons are still on voter registration rolls in the area, and that many of these names have been voting…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Conservative Group Fights California AG’s Attempt to ‘Chill’ Speech
Though a federal judge recently ruled that a conservative nonprofit group doesn’t have to disclose its donor list to California’s Democratic attorney general, conservatives believe this case is just the latest in an ongoing fight related to political activity and free speech. “This was a great victory for free speech for everyone in this country,”…Josh Siegel -
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California Teachers Unions Force Nonmembers to Pay for LGBT, Other Political Goals
A large California teachers union and its national affiliate are forcing nonunion teachers to pay for political activism, according to a disclosure form acquired by The Daily Signal. Under a category called “human rights,” both the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association require nonunion teachers to finance LGBT leadership training and other political…Kevin Mooney -
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California Looks to Cover Illegal Immigrants Under Obamacare
In an unprecedented move, California legislators look to extend Obamacare health coverage to the state’s estimated 2.6 million illegal immigrant population. If passed and signed into law, California would be the first state in the nation to request illegal immigrants be covered through a state exchange, the Los Angeles Times reported. It is against the…Leah Jessen -
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A Family-Owned Business Braces for California’s Minimum Wage Hike
SAN DIEGO—Elvin Lai has been in the hospitality business his entire life. The San Diego hotel where he serves as chief executive officer has been in his family for four generations, and Lai can rattle off childhood memories of his younger years spent at the beachfront property. Lai asked that his hotel name not be…Melissa Quinn -
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Under California’s Minimum Wage, This Bookstore Owner Is Struggling to Survive
After more than a decade at the helm of her bookstore, Ann Kinner faces an uncertain future because of new measures at the city and state level to raise the minimum wage. On June 7, San Diego residents will vote on a ballot measure to raise the city’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour in…Melissa Quinn -
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For California Teacher Taking on Unions, Supreme Court Ruling Isn’t the End of Her Case
Two years after California teacher Rebecca Friedrichs first mounted her challenge to public-sector unions, she’s hearing the same thing today that she’s heard from fellow teachers all along: Keep fighting. The Supreme Court ruled 4-4 Tuesday in the case that bears her name, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, leaving in place agency fees public employees pay…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
New California Law Forces Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers to Advertise Abortions
Did you hear about the new bill that California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law? Under penalty of whopping fines, the new law orders the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and every other abortion facility in the Golden State to post a prominent notice in their waiting rooms, or give the mothers written or digital…Chuck Donovan -
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How Unions Hope to Win a $15 Minimum Wage in California
Labor unions are pushing to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour with two initiatives competing for voters’ approval. Two different unions are trying to get questions on the ballot for Californians to have a say on a $15 minimum wage. “One in four Californians is living in poverty because wages are too low to…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
California Joins the Effort to Persecute, Suppress Scientific Dissent on Climate Change
California Attorney General Kamala Harris has joined New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in trying to prosecute ExxonMobil for supposedly lying to its shareholders and the public about climate change, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported that Harris is investigating what ExxonMobil “knew about global warming and what the company told investors.”…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Meet the California Teacher Taking On the Unions
For teachers standing in the cold outside the Supreme Court on Monday, as well as thousands of educators across the country, California teacher Rebecca Friedrichs is mounting a battle that could change the power of public-sector unions. In the Supreme Court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association that went before the nine justices today, Friedrichs is…Melissa Quinn -
- News
California Teachers Gear Up to Take Fight Against Unions to Supreme Court
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. Rebecca Friedrichs and nine other teachers are calling into question the agency fees that public-sector workers are required to pay to unions, which they say violate their First Amendment rights. If the Supreme Court rules in Friedrichs’ favor,…Melissa Quinn -
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California Governor Hails ‘Coercive Power of Government’
California Gov. Jerry Brown raised some eyebrows while attending the U.N. Climate Summit in Paris this month, proclaiming that the “coercive power of the central state” is needed to promote good public policy, specifically when it comes to a cleaner environment. Taking part in an onstage presentation with billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer, Brown said…Rob Nikolewski -
- Opinion
California Close Encounter Shows Why Drone Registry Will Be Ineffective
Last week, a drone and a California Highway Patrol helicopter nearly collided 700 feet above the California city of Martinez. Shortly thereafter, the reckless drone pilot was apprehended by police. The man, a Chinese exchange student, was questioned but ultimately not arrested. This is exactly the sort of situation the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is…Jason Snead