When Jim Brulte ran for California Republican Party chairman, he campaigned on three things: Help maintain the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, eliminate the Democrats’ supermajority in the Assembly and rebuild the party from the ground up. This was after the California GOP suffered a devastating loss in 2012, earning superminority status
Democrats in Fresno outnumber rival Republicans by more than 20,000 registered voters, but California’s fifth-largest city still can’t shake the perception that it’s a conservative bastion. Now there’s a study, which appears this month in the American Political Science Review. Its conclusion? Fresno, is pretty much middle of the road — at least relatively speaking.
Gov. Jerry Brown voiced strong support for beleaguered California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey on Friday, following the disclosure of emails indicating a cozy relationship with the utilities Peevey regulates. "I know there's been a lot of ink poured out on this topic, but I would say he's a very effective leader, he gets
Industrial companies and other businesses paid a combined $331.8 million for carbon credits in California’s latest cap-and-trade auction, state officials said Thursday. Environmentalists said the results of the latest quarterly auction were positive in light of recent controversy surrounding the market. Oil refiners, some legislators and others want the state to postpone the scheduled Jan. 1
When Capitol insiders talk about a “bag bill,” it refers to something for which an interest group is willing to spend big money – legally, it’s presumed – to see done. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/12/6621219/dan-walters-will-california-ban.html
Senate Democratic leaders are grappling with how far to push President Barack Obama on immigration before the crucial midterm elections. For all the insistence that Obama take bold action — and despite a furious push from immigration activists — there’s palpable fear that Obama could cause trouble for the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats if he
All by yourself at dinner? You're in good company. As lifestyles and demographics shift, Americans are emerging as a nation of diners who eat alone. About 57 percent of eating and beverage occasions now occur when people are by themselves, according to a recent report from The NPD Group, a market research firm. The portion
Vibe Magazine reports that rapper JayZ (Shawn Carter) has come out in favor of California’s Proposition 47, a November ballot measure that would reduce and reclassify some nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. He did it his way — on stage. http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/08/06/new-ca-politics-voice-jay-z-endorses-prop-47-more-schools-less-prisons-video/
New data show the Golden State continues to have the nation’s most polarized Legislature by a measure of the ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans. Researchers have noted that the polarization has not been a real obstacle to lawmaking here, given the Democratic party’s dominance. Closely following California are Colorado and Arizona. The research comes from
It's a purgatory sometimes called the gray economy. Although the official state unemployment rate dropped to 7.4% in June, 16.2% of Californians — or about 6.2 million — were either jobless, too discouraged to seek work, working less than they'd like or in off-the-books jobs. That's the highest rate in the country, tied with Nevada.