Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Willie Brown
June 10, 2017
It was great entertainment, but for all the hype, the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings that featured former FBI Director James Comey failed to deliver a knockout punch.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
May 20, 2017 – 5:25 PM
One might think that a political party wielding virtually total control of the nation’s most populous state – i.e. Democrats in California – would be satisfied.
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago and Angela Hart
ccadelago@sacbee.com
May 19, 2017 – 8:35 PM
State Democrats’ three-day convention had a raucous start Friday, as liberal activists booed and heckled Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez after marching from the state Capitol to promote a universal heath care program.
Observations on California and its politics
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
May 08, 2017 – 2:07 PM
Democratic legislators have counted on a revenue surge to persuade Gov. Jerry Brown to loosen up on spending – but just the opposite is occurring.
Observations on California and its politics
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
April 29, 2017 – 2:00 PM
Tax more, spend more and regulate more.
As state legislators completed their initial committee reviews of bills last week, it became evident that this year’s session may be the most liberal in California history.
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
April 19, 2017 – 11:37 AM
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday dismissed as “preposterous” suggestions that he broke the law by providing district-specific projects to lawmakers to win their support for his $52 billion road repair package with tax and fee increases.
By Jonathan J. Cooper and Sophia Bollag
Apr. 18, 2017
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Senate on Monday approved more than $900 million worth of road and train projects that were promised to lawmakers in order to secure their support for a hike in gas taxes and vehicle fees.
Patrick McGreevy, Melanie Mason and John Myers
April 9 , 2017
In one of the biggest legislative victories of his storied political career, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed through an ambitious plan last week that will increase gas taxes and vehicle fees to raise $52 billion over the next decade for the repair of California’s system of crumbling roads, highways and bridges.
Capitol Alert
By Taryn Luna and Alexei Koseff
tluna@sacbee.com
April 6, 2017 – 7:00 PM
The state Legislature on Thursday passed a sweeping $52 billion transportation plan that will raise California gas taxes after leaders struck deals with wavering lawmakers to fund road projects in their districts.
Sarah D. Wire
April 6, 2017 – 10:24 a.m.
Reporting from Washington—
Democrat Kia Hamadanchy announced he’ll run for the 45th Congressional District Thursday, becoming the third Democrat this week to announce plans to challenge Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) for the seat.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
April 3, 2017 – 3:22 PM
During Barack Obama’s presidency, Republican congressional leaders easily passed repeals of Obama’s landmark health insurance law, knowing they were DOA.
By DON THOMPSON and SOPHIA BOLLAG, Associated Press
March 29, 2017, at 9:11 p.m.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor and legislative leaders on Wednesday proposed raising $52 billion to fix the state’s roads through a big gasoline tax increase, higher car registration fees and a charge on emission-free vehicles.
Patrick McGreevy
February 26, 2017
The race for California attorney general in 2018 has been shaken up by the so-called “Trump factor,” with the state’s newly appointed top lawyer, Xavier Becerra, seeing his profile boosted to the national stage by legal challenges to the Republican president.
By Jeff Horseman, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 02/16/17 – 8:11 PM PST |
Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, is among a group of Congressional Hispanic Caucus members who said Republicans kicked them out of a meeting with the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday, Feb. 16.
Patrick McGreevy
Feb. 9, 2017 – 9:40 a.m.
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Thursday formally announced his bid to run for election to the post in 2018, telling supporters he is ready to continue to battle the Trump administration when he thinks the president is trampling on rights.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
February 2, 2017 – 4:52 PM
State budgets have been easy-peasy political exercises in recent years, thanks to hefty increases in revenue from an expanding economy.
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago and Alexei Koseff
ccadelago@sacbee.com
January 24, 2017 – 10:44 AM
Gov. Jerry Brown, plunging into position as a Democratic bulwark against Donald Trump’s presidency, warned Tuesday of looming battles with Republican-controlled Washington, using his State of the State address to assuage fears that California would turn its back on progressive policies.
Associated Press
January 13, 2017 – 11:05 AM
The first chamber of the California Legislature has confirmed U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra to be the state’s next attorney general.
Melanie Mason
January 4, 4016
Bracing for an adversarial relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, the California Legislature has selected former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to serve as outside counsel to advise on the state’s legal strategy against the incoming administration.
Bridget Bowman
Posted Jan 3, 2017 – 10:13 PM
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is preparing to block President-elect Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee if he or she is not in the “mainstream.”
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
January 3, 2017 – 10:28 AM
Gov. Jerry Brown formally entered his nomination of Rep. Xavier Becerra for California attorney general on Tuesday, setting the 90-day clock for the Legislature to act.
Sarah D. Wire
December 28, 2016
So far, none of California’s 55 senators and representatives have announced plans to retire ahead of the 2018 election. But after weeks at home with family during the holidays to talk about the future, such declarations could come soon.
By Nolan D. McCaskill
12/26/16 – 03:53 PM EST
Hillary Clinton thanked her supporters Monday in an end-of-year email.
By Lisa Boothe (@LisaMarieBoothe) •
Published: 12/16/16 – 2:50 AM
The Democratic Party has latched onto reports citing anonymous CIA sources who allege the Russians tried to sway the 2016 presidential election. After blaming Fake News, the FBI, racism, sexism and the Electoral College, it appears the newest scapegoat for Hillary Clinton’s and the party’s crushing defeat is Russia.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
December 12, 2016 – 4:30 PM
Well, we saw the first major impact last week, without Trump even lifting a finger.
Chuck McFadden
December 12, 2016
Any hope that California would soon settle into some sort of accommodation with a Trump Administration is fading rapidly.
By Gabriel Debenedetti
12/12/16 – 05:06 AM EST
As Donald Trump’s inauguration draws near, Democrats fear they remain woefully unprepared to fight the new president’s agenda.
By Rebecca Kheel
12/10/16 – 05:05 PM EST
Democrats are growing uneasy with the number of generals President-elect Donald Trump has tapped for his administration, citing concerns about the amount of sway the military will have in the government.
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By Carla Marinucci
12/01/16 – 05:17 PM EST
SAN FRANCISCO — With his nomination to become California’s first Latino attorney general, Rep. Xavier Becerra is now primed to be the public face of the Democratic resistance to Donald Trump on issues like climate change, health care and, most visibly, immigration.
Capitol Alert
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
December 1, 2016 – 9:00 AM
Gov. Jerry Brown has tabbed Rep. Xavier Becerra to serve as California’s interim attorney general, selecting the Los Angeles Democrat to fill a vacancy opened by the imminent departure of outgoing Attorney General Kamala Harris to the U.S. Senate.
Capitol Alert
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
November 28, 2016 – 5:35 PM
Broadening the path to long-sought deals on affordable housing, transportation infrastructure and climate change, California Democrats have again captured a two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Legislature.
Capitol Alert
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
November 27, 2016 – 12:01 AM
Demography, it’s been said, is destiny – and the outcome of California’s election this month proves it again.
By Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan
Published: 11/15/16 – 09:03 AM EST
Updated: 11/15/16 – 06:52 PM EST
Nancy Pelosi’s hold on the House Democratic Caucus is being tested.
Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
November 14, 2016
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is the early favorite to succeed fellow Democrat Jerry Brown in the 2018 gubernatorial race, as the state’s second-in-command holds large advantages among Democrats and independents, according to a new Field Poll.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
November 14, 2016 – 8:00 PM
A new poll indicates that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is, by a wide margin, the leading candidate for governor two years hence – which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Phil Willon
November 15, 2016
Newly elected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris said she’s already been in contact with her West Coast colleagues about banding together to implement Democratic priorities in the political era of President-elect Donald Trump.
Kurtis Lee
Nov. 12, 2016 – 3:24 p.m.
A somber Hillary Clinton blamed her presidential election loss on a variety of factors Saturday, including FBI Director James B. Comey’s announcement last month that newfound emails possibly linked to her private server were being reviewed.
Friday, November 11, 2016 – 11:30 a.m.
Now that all of the dust is settling in the aftermath of Republican Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton it’s time to reflect a little.
Christine Mai-Duc
Nov. 9, 2016, 10:38 a.m.
Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) has lost her long, expensive battle against fellow Democrat attorney Eloise Reyes.
Saturday, November 5, 2016 – 10:30 a.m.
The liberal mainstream media is essentially freaking out on Saturday morning, with poll after poll showing the steam running out of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
By Jeff Horseman, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 11/03/16 – 10:12 PM PDT |
Depending on where you live, the source of those political ads cramming your mailbox may be hundreds of miles away.
By Tyler Durden
Nov 1, 2016 – 10:46 AM
In today’s, 25th, Wikileaks release of hacked Podesta emails, one of the notable highlights is a March 2, 2015 exchange between John Podesta and Clinton aide Cheryl Mills in which the Clinton Campaign Chair says “On another matter….and not to sound like Lanny, but we are going to have to dump all those emails.”
Monday, October 31, 2016 – 08:15 a.m.
The political world is reeling over Friday’s announcement that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reopened its investigation into Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified secrets.
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By Tyler Durden
Oct 29, 2016 – 9:30 PM
In the 24 hours since FBI Director Comey dropped perhaps the biggest bombshell of the entire Presidential campaign, sending Democrats (and media) scrambling headless-chicken-like for answers (and blame-scaping), does anyone else find it odd that ‘FBI Emails’ does not appear to be a hot topic, trending, big deal on any social media?
To read expanded article, click here.
Saturday, October 29, 2016 – 11:00 a.m.
No one ever expected the October surprise in this presidential campaign season to arrive courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 – 9:00 a.m.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has shifted his entire campaign theme to the “rigged establishment”.
By Alicia Robinson / Staff Writer
Oct. 24, 2016 – Updated 6:03 p.m.
With the presidential election coming on the heels of Halloween, Hillary Clintons and Donald Trumps may be as common as superheroes and zombies on Oct. 31.
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By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Oct. 20, 2016 – 2:56 p.m.
We have a new entry in the race for the ugliest Inland political contest of 2016.
Capitol Alert
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
October 19, 2016 – 12:01 AM
The question for California legislative races is no longer whether Democrats will secure a majority. It’s how large their margin will be.
Phil Willon
Oct. 17, 2016, 1:18 p.m.
A super PAC backing Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) for U.S. Senate launched a radio ad targeting Republican voters and attacking her rival, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, as “another Barbara Boxer — a Bay Area liberal backed by the Democratic Party establishment.”
Joseph Turner
Monday, October 17, 2016 – 9:51 a.m.
Did a High Desert Republican Join the Climate Change Cabal?
A High Desert Republican representing the communities of Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville appears to have joined the Climate Change Cabal occupied by the radical left.
By Jeff Horseman, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 10/16/16 – 2:55 PM PDT |
The dynamic that pitted Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton continues in California’s 47th Assembly District.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Oct. 12, 2016 – Updated: 10:00 p.m.
There’s more at stake in California’s 40th Assembly District than incumbent Marc Steinorth’s political career.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 10/12/16 – 11:29 PM PDT |
As Election Day approaches, some candidates have been skipping the debates that give voters the chance to hear directly from them.
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By Kyle Cheney and Sarah Wheaton
Published: 10/07/16 – 10:29 PM EDT
Updated: 10/07/16 – 10:28 PM EDT
WikiLeaks released a trove of emails apparently hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman email account, unleashing thousands of messages that reveal for the first time excerpts of Clinton’s paid speeches — including those delivered before Wall Street — that were flagged as problematic or potentially damaging.
By Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/08/16, 12:34 AM PDT |
Last Friday night at midnight, Gov. Jerry Brown dropped his still-smoking veto pen, the 2016 California legislative session at an end.
Ruby Cramer
BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on Oct. 7, 2016 at 3:03 p.m.
Excerpts from Hillary Clinton’s closed-door paid speeches, including to financial firms, appeared to be made public for the first time on Friday when WikiLeaks published hundreds of hacked emails from her campaign chairman.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Oct. 4, 2016 – Updated: 4:13 p.m.
The acrimony continues in California’s 31st Congressional District, with the campaign of Democratic incumbent Pete Aguilar trying to link Republican Paul Chabot to Donald Trump and Chabot accusing Aguilar of using Chabot’s children in a smear attempt.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
The first presidential debate is in the books and Republican Donald Trump let some great chances go by. But he didn’t screw-up.
Monday, September 26, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
The first of three presidential debates between Democrat Nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton Republican Nominee Donald J. Trump will take place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on Monday night.
Thank God!
Electoral Mapmaking
Oct 03, 2016 | By Jeffrey H. Anderson
One of the most pervasive myths in American politics is that a “Big Blue Wall” will protect Democratic presidential nominees, perhaps even those who lose the popular vote. In truth, this electoral Blue Wall is more like a collection of disconnected forts—some imposing, some not—and the loss of any one of them would likely doom the Democratic nominee.
Capitol Alert
By Taryn Luna
tluna@sacbee.com
September 23, 2016 – 2:37 PM
The state’s political ethics commission is launching an investigation into the California Democratic Party after an advocacy group alleged the party acted as a middleman to funnel donations from oil and energy companies to Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2014 re-election campaign.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 22, 2016 – 7:00 PM
There are few things more fundamentally important to life in contemporary California than transportation and housing, and both are in crisis.
Monday, September 19, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump has taken his widest lead yet in the Los Angeles Times/USC Dornsife Daily Tracking Poll of a pool of approximately 3,000 likely voters nationwide.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 18, 2016 – 4:00 PM
The last night of the Legislature’s biennial session on Aug. 31 was, as usual, a hectic free-for-all.
By Willie Brown
September 17, 2016
Updated: September 17, 2016 – 11:00pm
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is gaining in the polls as the first presidential debate nears.
By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press
Sep. 16, 2016 – 6:43 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown has put promised small dinners with political donors on hold until he finishes signing bills for the year, an aide said Friday, amid criticism of what some called paid access during a crucial decision-making time for the governor.
Monday, September 12, 2016 – 08:30 a.m.
It was only matter of time before Democrat Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton had another heath issue.
By Jeff Horseman, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 09/09/16 – 10:34 PM PDT |
Election Day is almost two months away, but there’s already a front-runner for the ugliest Inland political contest of 2016.
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By Abby Phillip
September 9, 2016 at 10:38 PM
Hillary Clinton said Friday that “half” of Donald Trump’s supporters could be grouped in “the basket of deplorables” at a fundraising event in New York City.
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/9lmynpFSPoU”]
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Sept. 6, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
The candidates in the competitive race for California’s 40th Assembly District are using video to tout their strengths to voters ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
To read expanded article, click here.
By Sarah D. Wire
September 5, 2016
With just over a month left before California starts sending out vote by mail ballots, congressional races are starting to heat up.
By Rosalind S. Helderman and Michelle Ye Hee Lee
September 5, 2016 at 6:51 PM
The guest list for a private State Department dinner on higher- education policy was taking shape when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a suggestion.
By Gabriel Debenedetti
09/04/16 – 07:11 AM EDT
The final stretch of the longest presidential campaign in history opens this week. Think it’s been ugly? You’ve seen nothing yet.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 1, 2016 – 5:16 PM
The biennial legislative session that ended very early Thursday morning amassed a very substantial record of action – some positive, some negative and much whose real effects won’t be known for years.
Capitol Alert
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
September 1, 2016 – 12:33 PM
While Gov. Jerry Brown prepares to act on hundreds of bills sent to him by the Legislature in its end-of-session rush, the California Democratic Party has offered prospective donors to Brown’s political causes access to a series of small dinners with him.
By John Myers
August 31, 2016
California’s 120 legislators took the oath of office in December 2014 with pledges to tackle issues like the cost of a college education, the state’s minimum wage and beyond.
So how did they do?
By Louis Nelson
08/31/16 – 06:47 PM EDT
After weeks of slipping in the polls, Donald Trump is narrowing the advantage Hillary Clinton built in the wake of last month’s nominating conventions, a new Fox News poll of registered voters shows.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 – 09:00 a.m.
Players in the Democrat party, talking heads and the so-called GOP establishment (What remains of it!) are starting to up their chorus and pitch as Democrat Nominee Hillary Clinton’s lead rapidly evaporates.
By Melody Gutierrez
Published: August 28, 2016
Updated: August 28, 2016 – 8:37pm
SACRAMENTO — The fate of hundreds of bills will be decided by Wednesday, when state lawmakers wrap up their two-year session.
Saturday, August 27, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.
A bill imposing criminal penalties on prosecutors who withhold or hide evidence in criminal cases cleared the California Senate this week and is already headed to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration.
By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Aug. 26, 2016 – Updated: 6:06 p.m.
Inland Rep. Pete Aguilar’s campaign took aim at his GOP opponent’s recordkeeping as the first-term Democratic incumbent went on the attack in the race for a San Bernardino County congressional seat.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
August 25, 2016 – 4:27 PM
As the Legislature begins the last few days of its biennial session, hundreds of measures are pending – not counting, of course, “mushroom bills” that will sprout in the dead of night and pass before anyone outside the Capitol can react.
By Stephen Braun and Eileen Sullivan, The Associated Press
Posted: 08/23/16, 8:23 PM PDT |
WASHINGTON >> More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money — either personally or through companies or groups — to the Clinton Foundation. It’s an extraordinary proportion indicating her possible ethics challenges if elected president.
By Rosalind S. Helderman, Spencer S. Hsu and Tom Hamburger
August 22, 2016 at 7:18 PM
A sports executive who was a major donor to the Clinton Foundation and whose firm paid Bill Clinton millions of dollars in consulting fees wanted help getting a visa for a British soccer player with a criminal past.