An effort is likely to qualify for the ballot to overhaul California's "three strikes" law by limiting the 25-years-to-life penalty for a third felony to rapists, murderers and child molesters, among others. The original law, pushed by a Fresno man who... »
Communications behemoth AT&T is the single largest corporate dispenser of political cash in the Capitol -- about $14,000 a day for the past seven years, by one estimate -- and the company wields a profound influence on public policies affecting million... »
Kinde Durkee, a long-time Democratic accountant who has kept track of the cash of scores -- hundreds -- of political campaigns, has been targeted in new federal charges alleging $7 million in fraud. The Sacramento Bee reported that Durkee is expected ... »
A rose by any other name: The way candidates describe themselves on ballots is a big deal. "Businessman" is a popular designation this year -- especially in the Inland Empire -- even though the person carrying the title is a professional politician who... »
The city of Stockton, bedeviled for years by fiscal woes, moved toward bankruptcy as its city council voted to halt payments to its creditors, including municipal bond holders, and enter third-party mediation as a way of heading off a formal bankruptcy... »
Gov. Brown's 2012-13 budget blueprint counts on too much incoming revenue from such sources as capital gains, says the Legislative Analyst, who also notes that the state's finances are still out of whack by several billion dollars. The precise size of ... »
Gov. Brown's plans to reorganize state government include folding the Gambling Control Commission into the state Department of Justice -- a proposal that he tersely alluded to in his 2012-13 state budget proposal. From the Press-Enterprise's Jim Miller... »
California's political watchdog, spawned decades ago by the Watergate scandals in Washington and pushed ardently by a much younger Jerry Brown, is easing its approach to ethics issues -- a move that angers good-government activists. Ironically, the Fai... »
Democrats are gathering their forces to beat back an attempt by a conservative Republican lawmaker to turn California's Legislature into a part-time body. Voters approved creating a full-time Legislature in 1966 and with few exceptions it has been Demo... »
Gov. Jerry Brown says he may push for a delay in placing an $11.1 billion water bond before voters in November, suggesting that asking for a huge borrowing at the same time he wants voters to approve his five-year, $35 billion tax plan is risky indeed.... »
Gov. Jerry Brown plans to deliver his state of the state address on Wednesday, then take his campaign to raise taxes on the road. Among his first stops: Los Angeles City Hall. From Chris Megerian in the LAT: "Gov. Jerry Brown doesn’t plan to waste any ... »
State budgets all come down to one thing -- the amount of incoming revenue. And that means that California's 2011-12 budget is in big trouble: The state finished 2011 -- the first half of the budget year -- down by some $2.5 billion. From the Bee's Ke... »
California law bars lobbyists from contributing to state political candidates. But if those candidates -- including lawmakers -- are running for Congress, the lobbyists can make contributions because congressional races are governed by federal law, whi... »
One of California's hottest political issues, the automatic deduction of funds from payrolls for union dues, is heading back to the ballot in 2012. Payroll deduction is a do-or-die issue for unions and in the past has galvanized them into action. In 19... »
Gov. Brown has shut down a government Web site that provided an array of public records, including travel expenses and reimbursements of members of the governor's staff and senior agency officials. The governor says if anybody wants to see those record... »
