By Susan Shelley Californians have had constitutional powers of direct democracy since 1911, a signature accomplishment of the progressive movement and Gov. Hiram Johnson. Today, with Gov. Gavin Newsom slipping “save democracy” into every interview as he positions himself for the presidency, you’d think democracy is in pretty good shape in the Golden State. You’d […]

“…because of a requirement that any bill must be in print for at least 72 hours before its final vote, the last chance to amend legislation before the session ends was Monday night.” BY JEANNE KUANG AND ALEXEI KOSEFF “The fast food industry and unions were in a crunch to reach an agreement by tonight, […]

BY DAN WALTERS | JUNE 13, 2023 IN SUMMARY The California Legislature will be playing charades this week, passing a budget bill to meet the June 15 constitutional deadline even though it’s not the real budget. It will, however, protect lawmakers’ paychecks. Let’s say you want a promotion to a higher-ranking position that will also […]

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,” […]