BY ARI PLACHTA AND STEPHEN HOBBS, SACRAMENTO BEE, 8/31/2022 Gavin Newsom’s push to extend the life of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant has raged for weeks. But on Tuesday, conflicting interpretations of a single phrase led to a whirlwind of political wrangling. The flurry of environmentalist outrage and backstage compromise — playing out as the […]

BY JOHN MYERS, SACRAMENTO BUREAU CHIEF | Early in the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the iconic Republican was getting grilled with questions from reporters during a state Capitol press conference when I happened to ask him something — the topic escapes me all these years later — that was apparently too much. “You reporters,” […]

BY DAN WALTERS | Democrats occupy three-quarters of the seats in both houses of the state Legislature and are likely to add a few more to their superdooper majorities this year. One unfortunate consequence of that partisan stranglehold is ever-increasing hide-the-pea opacity in the legislative process. Legislative committee hearings, which once were true forums for […]

BY JON COUPAL | Examples of hypocrisy and double standards in California politics are too numerous to count. But some stand out more than others. Two bills, both designated as “job killers” by the California Chamber of Commerce, would require companies to hand over to the government more data about pay and internal practices. Under […]

BY CYNTHIA DAI AND JODIE P. FILKINS | SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE | In November 2008, Californians took a bold step to eliminate partisan gerrymandering and foster a stronger democracy by establishing an independent citizens commission. The Voters First Act stripped the power of redistricting away from self-interested politicians, putting citizens free from conflicts […]