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
California’s Drought: Not an Environmental Problem. An Environmentalist Problem.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—I was walking through downtown Sacramento recently when raindrops started falling. People on the street stopped dead in their tracks, looked up at the sky, and began acting giddy. “What’s that?” I asked a man. “I think it’s something called rain,” he responded. Such is the gallows humor in a state that hasn’t seen substantial… -
news
California Governor Vows to Override Democrat-Led Legislature on Climate Change Regulations
Jerry Brown isn’t used to losing in the California Legislature. And even though defections from a raft of fellow Democrats in Sacramento forced the second-term governor to abandon two sweeping anti-carbon measures, Brown vows to implement them anyway—through executive order. “I’d say oil has won a skirmish, but they’ve lost the bigger battle, because I am… -
news
California Republican Resigns From Conservative Group Over Tactics
A California Republican has resigned from the conservative House Freedom Caucus, arguing that the group’s tactics have done more harm to conservative policy than good. In a letter delivered to Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Tom McClintock criticized the strategy used by the conservative group in fights over Planned Parenthood, immigration, and trade…. -
news
13 Photos of the Devastating California Wildfires
More than 550 homes in flames, 62,000 acres scorched, and one death — the Valley Fire in Middletown, Calif. is only 30 percent contained, according to the Los Angeles Times, and doesn’t look like it is anywhere near done raging through Northern California. Its cousin, the Butte Fire, now about 45 percent contained, forced evacuations and… -
news
California Assembly Approves Legislation to Legalize Assisted Suicide
The California State Assembly passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide on Wednesday. According to a report by Reuters, the bill is likely to be approved by the state Senate, but Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., has not made his position on the bill known. The bill, ABX2-15, requires a patient seeking life-ending drugs to make a… -
news
5 Million People Left California Over the Past Decade. Many Went to Texas.
About 5 million California residents left the Golden State during the past decade, marking an “unprecedented” number according to a report released this week. The Sacramento Bee analyzed tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service between 2004 and 2013, the height of the housing crash and recession, which impacted California more sharply than most states…. -
news
A Year After Obama Visits, California Farmer Struggles to Keep His Farm, Fighting Drought, Regulations
Joe Del Bosque has been a farmer for most of his life. He believes that regulations are one reason why he may be losing his farm, his American dream. His farm, which President Barack Obama visited in 2014, has also been severely affected by California’s drought. -
opinion
What We Can Learn From California’s Failed Green Jobs Plan
In the eyes of the Obama administration, California is the gold standard for state energy policy. The feds lavishly laud the Golden State’s aggressive green energy mandates and stringent energy efficiency requirements. But few states have jumped on California’s green energy bandwagon—and with good reason. Exhibit A: The green jobs initiative passed in 2012. Turns… -
opinion
Drunk Driving Is Down in California (Thanks to Uber)
There were only two drunk driving arrests last New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, the lowest it’s been since 2009, according to crime statistics from the San Francisco Police Department given to the Ferenstein Wire. This recent data comes on the heels of a new study revealing that the introduction of Uber’s low-cost service, UberX,… -
opinion
A California Judge Needs a Lesson in the First Amendment
Late Wednesday, the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) banning the Center for Medical Progress from releasing video of a meeting with three StemExpress employees at a restaurant last May, potentially violating fundamental First Amendment precedents that bar prior restraints on speech. The Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a group of… -
news
California Implements Strictest Fracking Regulations in US
California implemented new hydraulic fracturing regulations Wednesday, making the state home to perhaps the strictest fracking rules in the nation. The regulations force increased transparency and accountability through expanded monitoring and reporting of air and water quality, public disclosure of chemicals used in fracking procedures, and estimates of the environmental impact fracking activities may cause…. -
news
California Legislature Passes Mandatory Vaccination Bill
The California state legislature passed a controversial vaccination mandate Thursday requiring all schoolchildren receive vaccinations regardless of personal and religious beliefs. The law would end the ability of parents to exempt their children from vaccination unless a serious medical reason is given. Unvaccinated children are required to be homeschooled. Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chavez voted against… -
news
California to Subsidize Health Care for Illegal Immigrant Children
A California budget deal announced this week would provide state-funded health care coverage to children living in the U.S. illegally, making the state the first in the nation to do so. The deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders would cover about 170,000 immigrants 18 and under and is expected to easily pass the… -
news
California Regulation Threatens to ‘Destroy’ Uber’s Business Model
Since its inception, Uber, the breakout ride-sharing app redefining traditional taxi service, has baffled government agencies grappling with ways to regulate one of Silicon Valley’s biggest startups. The latest battle occurred this week after the California Labor Commissioner’s Office decided that Barbara Berwick, a driver for Uber, should be defined as an employee of the… -
news
California to Provide Free Rides Home for Drunk Lawmakers
Forget the cab fare. Intoxicated California lawmakers now can hitch a ride home at the expense of their taxpayers. In view of four lawmakers arrested over the last five years for driving under the influence, the state has hired two part-time employees who will man a 24-hour car service for senators too drunk to drive… -
news
Billionaire Environmentalist Pushes New Oil Tax in California
In an effort to combat high gasoline prices in California, billionaire environmentalist activist Tom Steyer is pushing for a state ballot measure to pass an oil severance tax. Steyer, founder of NextGen Climate, announced support for the potential ballot measure earlier this month at the California Democratic Party convention. “I want to understand why Californians… -
news
How California Cities Are Making Millions Seizing Property and Money From Law-Abiding Citizens
In a small number of cities clustered in Los Angeles County, Calif., people are seeing their property and money seized by law enforcement through civil asset forfeiture, and it’s making police departments tens of millions of dollars. California has safeguards in place to protect innocent people from the harmful practices of civil asset forfeiture. However, a… -
news
Insiders Detail Culture of Secrecy at California’s Obamacare Exchange
Aiden Hill’s introduction to the secretive culture at Covered California came in his first days on the job. He had just been hired to head up the agency’s $120 million call center effort when he emailed a superior April 18, 2013, and got a text message in reply: Please refrain from writing a lot of… -
news
Incompetence, Mismanagement Plague California’s Obamacare Insurance Exchange
California’s health insurance exchange, established under the Affordable Care Act, has been held out as a national model for Obamacare. In some ways—not all of them good—it is. Whether it’s falling far short of 2015 enrollment goals or sending out 100,000 inaccurate tax forms, Covered California is struggling with its share of challenges. Now, several… -
news
Amidst Drought, California Struggles to Find Solution to #SaveOurWater
Yesterday, California Gov. Jerry Brown met with water, agricultural, and environmental leaders to collaborate and discuss solutions to address the state’s worsening drought. .@JerryBrownGov meets w/water, agricultural & environmental leaders from across CA to talk #CADrought. #SaveOurWater pic.twitter.com/KloExvGQtm — Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 8, 2015 Brown came under criticism last week for an…