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 […]

The California Legislature passed a state budget on Monday, but it was just a self-serving charade because there are still issues to be settled. The Legislature’s Democratic supermajority put on something of a show Monday as they pretended to pass a new state budget. There were floor speeches, formal roll call votes and a deluge […]

A former member of the voter-approved commission that draws maps for California’s legislative and congressional districts said the panel should operate more in the open as it crafts the new boundaries. “On the 2010 redistricting commission, we prided ourselves on the fact that we were very transparent,” says Jodie Filkins Webber. “At the time, it […]