What I learned from covering California’s homeless since 1980
In 1980, I reported on Sacramento’s “public inebriates.” Most of them, a few hundred in all, lived in flophouse hotels. But some slept “in the…
California’s fast-food wage hike puts Democrats on defense
It’s no secret that California is expensive. Californians pay more than most for electricity, gas and rent. Even eggs cost more here. Now, fast food…
Billions of dollars to help California’s homeless population are piling up — and going unspent
Reporting from Sacramento — California’s homeless population has grown to more than 134,000 people, and key state government spending is taking a while to reach the…
California’s 16th Congressional District divided by one vote
Those needing a reminder about the power of a singular vote should look no further than California’s 16th Congressional District, where the race to be…
How to close California’s budget deficit? Democrats plan to have a plan
The three most powerful Democrats at the state Capitol came out Wednesday with a strange announcement. It boiled down to this: They’re working on a…
Newsom’s Proposition 1 passes in California’s primary election
The close contest over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $6.4-billion bond measure to transform California’s mental health system finally ended Wednesday, more than two weeks after the…
Is Donald Trump a new King David? Ask California’s right-wing Sons of Liberty
HANFORD, Calif. — Before the 1776 Sons of Liberty meeting got underway at the Elks Lodge, Adam Medeiros, a hairdresser for 44 years, sat in a…
Adam Schiff and familiarity win California’s marquee Senate race
Adam Schiff got the November opponent he wanted. Steve Garvey was set up to be knocked down. And by year’s end, California will very likely…
The cost of Proposition 1: Newsom’s plan to transform California’s mental health system
If approved by voters on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure to overhaul the state’s mental health services system and sell bonds to finance more…
A look at some of the biggest donors to California’s Senate race
What do cryptocurrency billionaires, unionized carpenters and criminal justice reform advocates have in common? They’re all pouring big bucks into trying to influence whom California…
Capitol Journal: California’s Legislature is less popular than Trump with the state’s voters, poll finds
Reporting from Sacramento — The heavily Democratic state Legislature is less popular among California voters than President Trump. That’s not a typo. It’s a poll finding…
Adam Schiff’s low-drama race for California’s U.S. Senate seat
Adam B. Schiff stepped from a white Porsche Carrera, laced his brown walking shoes and headed down Hill Street in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. He beelined…
Powerful women are backing a man for California’s Senate seat
Last weekend in Long Beach, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine met with voters at a small rally in the back patio of Lola’s Mexican…
California’s languid Senate race is showing signs of life.
Newsletter You are reading our California Politics newsletter Sign up to get an inside guide to the movers, shakers and lawmakers who shape the Golden…
California’s war on plastic bag use seems to have backfired
It was a decade ago when California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of anti-plastic…
Can California’s new Senate leader harness his extreme energy?
HEALDSBURG, Calif. — On a foggy January morning in his hometown nestled in Northern California wine country, state Sen. Mike McGuire was at an elementary school…
Once an electoral juggernaut, California’s prison-guard union steps back into the spotlight
The old adage that California government has three main functions — to educate, medicate and incarcerate — is a handy road map for where to…
Why California’s slavery reparations plan is so disorganized
On Thursday morning, state Sen. Steven Bradford sat down alone at a table inside the Capitol in Sacramento. He fiddled with a stack of papers…
Bipartisan support for California’s Prop. 1 to fund mental health care
When California lawmakers passed a set of bills back in September to put on the ballot Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to boost funding for…
Cash payments not part of California’s 14 reparations bills
SACRAMENTO — The California Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday outlined the first set of reparations for the descendants of African Americans who were enslaved in the…