Los Angeles Times
Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times; former senior editor of the Politics and Government Desk, and former Sacramento bureau chief and political reporter, for KQED's The California Report; former political editor at KXTV, the ABC affiliate in Sacramento
When you vote, is it really yours? Twelve Russian military intelligence officers hacked into the Clinton presidential campaign and Democratic Party and released tens of thousands of private communications in a sweeping conspiracy by the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election. That is according to an indictment announced days before President Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. All of this comes on the same day that California's top election official certified the results of last month's election.
Gavin Newsom will face Republican John Cox in the Calif. governor's race Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox won the most votes in Tuesday’s primary election. Now they face off in November to be California’s next governor. The big loser in that race was former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who ended up third. In the Senate race, Dianne Feinstein cruised to victory, while Democratic challenger Kevin De Leon barely clinched second. We look at those races and other highlights from the primary.
California politicians meet with President Trump to talk 'sanctuary state' law at the White House Wednesday to discuss California’s “sanctuary state” law. Republicans in the state are viewing the topic as an opportunity to encourage their base to show up for the June primary. On the flip side, with voters split over the sanctuary issue, this could dash Democrats’ hopes of taking back the House.
Will California end Daylight Saving Time? California’s cap-and-trade program sets limits for emissions, and businesses must buy permits if they exceed them. California state lawmakers debated the future of this program Thursday, along with other bills that would end Daylight Saving Time, delay the start of the school day, and add “gender non-binary” as an option on official documents like driver’s licenses. We look at what bills passed and died in the legislature last night.
Brown withholds funding for UC in revised budget Governor Jerry Brown says the state legislature should keep a tight lid on money headed to the University of California system until it makes some major changes. A scathing audit found the U.C. failed to disclose a $175 million reserve fund and – at the same time – raised tuition for its students. It's a small part of the overall $183 billion budget, but could bring about some fireworks at next week's Board of Regents meeting.
How Calif. props could reverse the effects of tough-on-crime laws Prop 57 would allow early parole for inmates who’ve committed nonviolent crimes. Prop 64 would legalize marijuana and release some people who are serving time for marijuana-related offenses. Both measures play into a broader narrative that California has had over the past few year that “tough on crime” may be too tough.
California lawmakers consider major voting overhaul The State Assembly votes on a measure Tuesday that would overhaul the voting process, and that could mean the days of scrambling to get to a random garage, school, or storefront on election day may be ending in California . If the proposal passes, many traditional polling places would go away starting in 2018. Instead, every voter would get a mail-in ballot. Voters will still be able to vote in person, but there will be fewer polling places that will be open for several days and voters can choose go to any polling place in their county.
CA Gun Control: What Governor Brown Signed and What He Vetoed The California state legislature handed Governor Brown a package of gun control bills. As of Friday morning, the Governor signed some and vetoed others. What does that mean for the gun control initiative that Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom has put on the ballot? That initiative is one of at least 17 that California voters will decide on in November. Voters will also decide whether or not to legalize recreational pot, end the death penalty, and enact other gun control measures. They’ll also vote on how to deal with plastic bags and whether porn stars should wear condoms. What else ? And what local initiatives will voters in Los Angeles decide on?
Jerry Brown: From Governor ‘Moonbeam’ to the ‘Adult in the Room’ In 1975, Jerry Brown’s first year in office as the Governor of California, ABC News reported that many Californians didn’t know what to make of the state’s youngest-ever governor. Forty-one years later, as the state’s oldest-ever governor, that may still be the case. Since Brown’s return to the top job in California politics, his budgets have been fiscally conservative, even austere. That’s surprised and angered some liberals in the party, but not those who remember the governor’s first run in office.
The Accidental Popularity of the American Independent Party In 1964, Governor George Wallace ran for president as a Democrat. He planned to run again in 1968, but Democrats rejected his segregationist platform; and so a new, ultra-conservative party was created in California to put him on the ballot. It was called the American Independent Party and it still exists. In fact, it boasts more registered voters than all the other small parties combined. The problem is, according to an investigation carried out by the LA Times , most of its members joined the American Independent Party by mistake.
If You Raise It, What Will Happen? Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign an increase in the California minimum wage on Monday here in LA, just days after the Assembly and House both approved a proposal to raise that wage to $15 by the year 2022. Once he puts his John Hancock on that bill, it’ll the highest statewide minimum wage in the nation. Cities – including Los Angeles, Seattle, and DC – have raised their minimum wages too…
State of the State Since Gov. Jerry Brown took office, he’s been focused on fiscal discipline And that continues to be the name of the game, though the state has seen revenue of $6 billion above expectations. But the state also has some liabilities to pay off – almost $220 billion of it in retirement and pensions. And Brown did say that one thing the state has to spend money on is infrastructure. Joining us to give perspective on the state of the state is John Myers.
What to Expect from the California Legislature in 2016 It being the the holidays the state legislature is out for recess until next year, when lawmakers and Governor Jerry Brown will take up some major initiatives. We're looking ahead to see what lawmakers are planning for the new year, and how the shifting power dynamics in Sacramento will play out in those debates. John Myers is the Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times.
In Sacramento, Saving the Biggest for Last With the state legislature's current session is scheduled to end tomorrow, it's time to invoke a long-standing maxim: "the hardest, most controversial proposals are almost always left until the very end." That's according to John Myers, who reports from Sacramento for KQED , public radio and television in San Francisco.
California's Gone from Bad Times to Good Times… or Has It? State Senators and Assembly members are prepared to pass a budget by midnight tonight. If it gets any later, they won't get paid . But that won't mean the process is over. What's in store for disabled people, the poor and others who suffered from program cuts during the Great Recession?
Dry Land and Deaf Ears We’re well into the fourth year of a severe drought in California. And this week, Governor Jerry Brown and legislative leaders from both parties announced more than $1 billion in emergency aid. But the governor also faced question after question over whether the State Water Resources Control Board's new conservation actions are enough.
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."