
In what observers of the U.S. Supreme Court are calling a surprise move, the court on Tuesday agreed to take up a case that will have the justices deciding whether the Constitution requires only the counting of eligible voters when
by Jon Fleischman28 May 2015, 5:38 AM PST0

In response to an anticipated ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States in Arizona State Legislature vs. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, which could very well strike down the creation of independent redistricting commissions in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Jersey and Washington State, two members of Congress from California, Repupblican Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Democrat Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, yesterday introduced H.R. 2501, the Citizens’ Districts Preservation Act.
by Jon Fleischman22 May 2015, 4:57 AM PST0

Only three countries in the world have no listings in the extensive AirBnB online inventory: North Korea, Syria and Iran. But if State Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsberg) gets his way, maybe you can add a state, California, to the list.
by Jon Fleischman12 May 2015, 5:38 AM PST0

In a victory for transparency in state politics, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny ruled last week that the State Senate is required to turn over the calendars and other requested documents from the offices of former Senators Calderon and Yee.
by Jon Fleischman3 May 2015, 12:05 AM PST0

Last month, Oregon Governor Kate Brown received considerable media attention when she put her signature on a new law that automatically registers every licensed driver in the Beaver State to vote. Here in California, newly-minted Secretary of State Alex Padilla is pushing for the state legislature to follow Oregon’s lead.
by Jon Fleischman28 Apr 2015, 11:48 AM PST0

On Wednesday in the California State Assembly Rules Committee, Democrats defeated a bill that would have dropped state legislators from their taxpayer-funded premium healthcare plans and prodded them into Covered California, the state Obamacare exchange. The bill, authored by Assemblyman Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), was defeated on a party-line vote–even though it would have reimbursed them for the cost of their new California Health Benefit Exchange plans.
by Jon Fleischman24 Apr 2015, 5:00 AM PST0

In August 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1266, titled the School Success and Opportunity Act by the bill’s author, then Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D) of San Francisco. This rosy title was never really used, as the legislation, amongst the
by Jon Fleischman21 Apr 2015, 10:00 AM PST0

There is a saying in Latin: Primum Non Nocere, which translates to “First Do No Harm.” That phrase basically means that given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even do nothing, than risk causing
by Jon Fleischman16 Apr 2015, 12:40 PM PST0

A couple of weeks ago a freshman Republican member of the State Assembly said to me: “You were right, this place is controlled lock, stock and barrel by the unions.”
by Jon Fleischman9 Apr 2015, 3:45 AM PST0

It turns out that who isn’t voting may have just as much, or more, to do with who wins an election that who does vote. Certainly that was the case in the recent special election in Orange County to fill the vacated First District Supervisor seat, created when Supervisor Janet Nguyen was elected last November to the California State Senate, vacating her county position.
by Jon Fleischman29 Mar 2015, 5:46 AM PST0

For nearly a year, the case Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission has been gyrating its way through the intricate legal processes of the United States Supreme Court.
by Jon Fleischman21 Mar 2015, 10:56 AM PST0

On Tuesday, March 10, I had a chance to sit down for an interview with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker while he was on a swing through Southern California. Having just been re-elected last November, Walker is on the campaign trail gauging support for a run for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.
by Jon Fleischman11 Mar 2015, 5:41 AM PST0

If you are coming in for a landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, it’s time to pull out your smartphone and use an app to get matched with a driver to pick you up curbside.
by Jon Fleischman4 Mar 2015, 5:35 AM PST0

While the largest gathering of conservative Republicans was taking place at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) near our nation’s Capitol, roughly 1300 delegates and guests gathered at the Sacramento convention center, across the street from the California State Capitol. for the biennial organizing convention of the California Republican Party.
by Jon Fleischman2 Mar 2015, 5:21 AM PST0

The all-Republican Board of Supervisors of Orange County in California is poised next Tuesday to adopt one of the nation’s most aggressive and enlightened policies to open the doors for all passengers flying in and out of John Wayne International Airport to be able to arrive and leave the airport easily via ride-sharing companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidekick.
by Jon Fleischman27 Feb 2015, 5:26 AM PST0

While Republicans performed well in the 2014 elections, bolstering their numbers in the House of Representatives to a modern-era high of 247 seats, they had a dismal performance in California. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) came up short in the few California seats where it committed significant resources, while in a host of other seats where it didn’t spend a dime, the GOP candidate narrowly lost.
by Jon Fleischman18 Feb 2015, 2:53 PM PST0

As Breitbart California reported this morning, a new survey of 600 likely California 2016 Republican primary voters shows that when presented with a lengthy list of potential GOP presidential contenders, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker comes out on top with a healthy
by Jon Fleischman12 Feb 2015, 11:55 AM PST0

A lawsuit initiated by the Republican-controlled Arizona legislature, which is on its way to the United States Supreme Court, could have major implications for Congressional Districts here in California.
by Jon Fleischman28 Jan 2015, 5:55 AM PST0

On Tuesday night, on an overwhelming 6-1 vote, the city council of Huntington Beach, California–which is officially known as “Surf City, USA”–directed the city staff to begin the process of repealing a policy that bans the use of plastic grocery bags, and requires grocery stores to charge a ten-cent fee on paper bags.
by Jon Fleischman22 Jan 2015, 5:04 AM PST0

It’s hard to imagine someone worse for California than Barbara Boxer, but Steyer does a good job fitting the bill. Does this sound like the profile of someone that would appeal to liberal voters?
by Jon Fleischman15 Jan 2015, 10:00 AM PST0

When we start to see Republicans putting their hands up to run who we think couldn’t win if the state were competitive, you needed a reminder: the bar is a lot lower. Perhaps we are looking for someone who will stand tall for GOP principles? Someone that can make the runoff so the California GOP doesn’t suffer the humiliation of having no nominee at all? Or making sure that our nominee isn’t some “Birther” type?
by Jon Fleischman11 Jan 2015, 11:40 AM PST0

It has been said the wait for Boxer or her colleague, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to retire has been like driving around a full parking lot waiting for a spot to open up. Well, with the news that one of those spots (at least) is going to be open, a lot of aspiring United States Senators will be jockeying to get into the position. Boxer’s early announcement means there will be plenty of time for anyone thinking about running to assess his or her chances and jump into the fray.
by Jon Fleischman9 Jan 2015, 4:46 AM PST0

Last September, we reported that the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which represents the plastic bag manufacturing industry, was launching a signature-gathering effort to attempt to stop the implementation of SB 270, legislation signed by Governor Brown, that would ban single-use plastic bags at grocery stores, and also require grocers to charge a ten-cent fee on every paper bag used, with proceeds going to the grocers.
by Jon Fleischman30 Dec 2014, 4:00 AM PST0

While California has become a bastion of liberalism, the Golden State is not without conservative voices. It was actually a project to narrow this list to 25 people – my apologies to many who would have made the top 50.
by Jon Fleischman23 Dec 2014, 1:06 PM PST0

The General Election ballot in 2016 is likely to have more statewide ballot measures on it than California voters have seen in a long time. The main reason for this is that the number of signatures needed in order to
by Jon Fleischman13 Dec 2014, 9:04 AM PST0