San Francisco Politics Turns the Page

Okay, we can talk some San Francisco politics in this period of grief. After all, the first decision is going to be by the Board of Supervisors. The Acting Mayor is London Breed, by way of being president of the Board of Supervisors, the same path that led Dianne Feinstein to become Mayor after the death of George Moscone (and […]

Bocanegra Saga Embroils the Assembly

Raul Bocanegra announced intention to resign on September 1, 2018, thus avoiding a special election, just as the Times was preparing a story on 6 women who alleged inappropriate sexual advances while he was a staffer, a candidate, and a legislator. Previous, the lone allegation was while he was a staffer. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Downey), who chairs the bipartisan Legislative […]

Feinstein is Running for Senate. Who Else?

Dianne Feinstein dusted off her personal Twitter account this morning and used it for the first time since April to tweet: @DianneFeinstein – “I am running for reelection to the Senate. Lots more to do: ending gun violence, combating climate change, access to healthcare. I’m all in!” The tweet was followed by a Facebook post and press […]

Lobbyists Checking the Personal Info Boxes is Wrong

The Bee’s Taryn Luna reports that the heads of six legislative caucuses to ask for the race and sexual orientation of lobbyists.This is wrong. Can I say it again? It is wrong even if “voluntary.” For those of us in the Capitol community, we know of many people who have different sexual orientations and that changes […]

It’s All Over…But the Shouting: Democratic Convention Wrap-Up

The California Democratic Party Convention came to a raucous close Sunday afternoon following a convention with an energy brought forth by new delegates elected largely as Bernie Sanders supporters. The divide between new and returning delegates extended from caucus meetings to the state party chair’s race. In the end, the establishment largely won. The hottest issue was […]

Analyzing the Election Vote and What it Means for Coming Elections

Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the certified final results of the November 8 general election. Turnout among registered voters was about average of presidential general elections since 1976. (See below.) The vote margin Clinton garnered over Trump is 4,269,978. The national popular vote margin is ~2.9 million, meaning California accounts for all of Clinton’s popular vote margin, plus an additional […]

They’re Off and Running for 2018

With the Senate race behind her, Loretta Sanchez has at least a few political routes forward. She could try for governor or another statewide office in 2018, wait to see if Dianne Feinstein retires and make another attempt at the Senate, or stay closer to home and run for a position in Orange County, such as on the Board […]

Primary Vote Signals Trouble for CA GOP Congress Members

With Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter running away from the presumptive nominee, there is a panic at the GOP’s congressional committee, the NRCC. It’s very unlikely that Democrats sweep the 30 seats needed to give Nancy Pelosi the gavel again, but there are seats in play that weren’t a few months ago. Nobody expected this conversation in this decade following the […]

Conflicting Thoughts About the Minimum Wage Increase

I neither disagree with $15/hour nor the political necessity to preempt dueling ballot measures on the November ballot, which would increase the wage much quicker. New York is following a similar plan, albeit a bit slower. However, as I was walking through farmers market after church this morning, I was thinking about our small family […]

Gas Taxes and Roads

There’s an interesting debate in Sacramento right now about how to pay for needed highway repairs. It’s universally agreed upon that our roads are not in great shape. Anyone who has driven to Reno from Sacramento knows when they cross into The Silver State, not by the “Welcome to Nevada” sign, but rather the condition […]