CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference HEALTH CARE IN CALIFORNIA, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, October 3, 2024 This is PANEL 3 – IMPACT OF BUDGET CUTS Panelists: Jess Bartholow, SEIU California; Michelle Cabrera, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California; Beth Capell, Health Access California; Scott Graves, California Budget and Policy Center Moderated by Kristen Hwang, Calmatters Thanks to the sponsors of the event: CALIFORNIA HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION, THE TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF SOVE ..read more

Last night we published the 16th edition of Capitol Weekly's Top 100 - our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostly behind the scenes players who influence policy, elections and governance, including Capitol staff, lobbyists, Agency staff, donors, business leaders, activists, Labor leaders - and even journalists. Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by former KQED reporter and LA Times Bureau Chief John Myers, who left journalism for communications two years ago, but still keeps a watchful eye on Golden State politics. Few political ..read more

One of the many stories out of the 2024 election was President Trump's improved performance with voters of color. While voter data is still being analyzed, it is clear that the former and future president made significant inroads in 2024 with constituencies with whom he has historically lagged, notably Latinos. For a politician who based his first presidential campaign on a promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico and referring to Mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and rapists, ANY improvement is a big shift. But, that shift was not uniform: While a majority of Latino men f ..read more

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Capitol Weekly and the UC Student and Policy Center presented A Post-Mortem of the 2024 Election. We gathered a score of experts for a timely and informative review of the November 5 election, providing analysis, opinions and insight. What happened inside the campaigns? Why? What happens next? Nearly two dozen California insiders will discuss the results of the election and provide a look-ahead at what it means for 2025. In this episode we present Panel 3: A LOOK AHEAD What happens now? A Red Wave election threatened Dem super majorities in Sacramento and soundly ..read more

Capitol Weekly presented HEALTH CARE IN CALIFORNIA in Sacramento on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Over a dozen experts and elected officials joined us for our annual look at Health Care in the Golden State. Today we present Panel 1: AI in Health Care. Artificial intelligence (AI) has huge potential to innovate and reshape health care. AI has the potential to benefit both providers and patients, with improved diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, robot-enhanced precision medicine and much more. Proponents of AI believe it will significantly improve the quality of care for patients – but how c ..read more

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Capitol Weekly hosted the California Ballot Forum: 2024 Election Preview. Through spirited discussion and reasoned debate, proponents for each side explored the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in a conversation moderated by a journalist. Today's episode presents: Proposition 36 ALLOWS FELONY CHARGES AND INCREASES SENTENCES FOR CERTAIN DRUG AND THEFT CRIMES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. If passed, would allow felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. Fiscal Impact: State crimina ..read more

This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s conference COVERING CALIFORNIA: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, May 30, 2024. This is PANEL 2 – THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM, REDEFINING THE MODEL Panelists: Senator Nancy Skinner; Chris Argentieri, Los Angeles Times; Neil Chase, Calmatters; Steve Stuck, Urban Edge Consulting. Moderated by Edie Lambert, KCRA 3 Want to support the Capitol Weekly Podcast? Make your tax deductible donation here: capitolweekly.net/donations/ Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is ..read more

Crime has been a big issue in California in recent years, and we have seen a significant number of high profile bills dealing with issues like fentanyl, human trafficking and organized retail theft in recent years. While legislation out of Sacramento may help with some Public Safetly issues, recruitment and retention problems plague many Law enforcement agencies in the state. And, no wonder - despite competitive salaries and benefits, many officers still can't afford to live in the communities they serve. We’re joined today by Brian Marvel, President of the Police Officers Research Association ..read more

We are joined today by communications expert Nathan Click of Click Strategies. Click serves as a political advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and led communications efforts in the Governor's successful campaign against the Recall; he is also active in ballot campaigns. He has previously served as the governor's Communications Director, worked on Sen. Hirono's staff in DC and on then-Attorney General Kamala Harris' campaign for US Senate. With last week's announcement that journalist Bob Salladay would be replacing Anthony York as Gov. Newsom's Communications Director, we thought it was a great time ..read more

As her final term in the senate comes to an end, Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman joined us to reflect on her twelve years in the state legislature. A self-described "pragmatic progressive," Eggman represents the 5th Senate District - San Joaquin County, parts of Stanislaus County and the Sacramento County community of Galt - areas which saw a significant Republican shift this year; San Joaquin County went to Trump in 2024.  We asked what she thought her party could do to speak to disaffected voters, what she saw as her successes from her time in office, and where she goes from here. Plus ..read more