Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 02/27/15, 6:39 PM PST
A bipartisan Assembly bill introduced Friday would allow Ontario to issue revenue bonds to finance the acquisition of L.A./Ontario International Airport from Los Angeles.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
02/24/2015 5:46 PM
California’s legislators are now eager to plug some gaping – and potentially dangerous – loopholes in criminal laws that voters opened last year by passing Proposition 47.
Proposals starting to form in Sacramento and San Diego County
By Chris Nichols
Feb. 15, 2015
SACRAMENTO — With a shrinking pot of money to fix California’s roads, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins has vowed to push the state into “the next generation of funding” through a $52 per year “Road User Charge” for all drivers.
Published: Feb. 12, 2015 – Updated: 10:37 p.m.
Inland Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez is facing criticism from Islamic groups after she tweeted with the hashtag “Stand Up Against Islam” while lamenting the death of an American aid worker.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Mark Z. Barabak
February 8, 2015
Reinvention is part of California’s credo, the inalienable right of every man, woman and child to make of themselves and their lives what they will — and do it over again, if they’re not happy the first time.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
02/02/2015 12:01 AM
When politicians tinker with the laws governing their own elections, one should view their proposals with a guilty-until-proven-innocent attitude.
Monday, January 26, 2015 – 09:00 a.m.
You gotta hand it to the GOP.
If there’s one concept the Republican Party has really developed a fine skill for, it’s committing political suicide.
Juliet Williams | AP
January 25, 09:16 AM
Gov. Jerry Brown orchestrated the successful push for temporary sales and income taxes on Californians three years ago to help ease the state out of recession and close a multibillion-dollar budget gap.
Friday, January 23, 2015 – 05:00 p.m.
Tonight on The Lou Desmond & Company Show, Lou is joined by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) to discuss AB 150, which would amend Prop 47 to make the theft of a firearm under $950 a felony.
Published: Jan. 22, 2015 – Updated: 10:41 a.m.
Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, has been named to a board post for an organization that trains Republican leaders nationwide.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
01/19/2015 7:39 PM
Legislative leaders occasionally proclaim that they want to do more “oversight” – looking into how well state government agencies are serving the public interest.
At best, however, it has been spotty.
By Mark Gutgkueck
Posted on January 17, 2015
(January 14) — In local Democratic Party circles there is already peripheral discussion of the need to mount a challenge of Marc Steinorth in the 40th Assembly District in 2016.
By Greg Cappis, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 01/09/15, 10:20 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO >> In a new courthouse that is part of an underfunded county court system, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors met with the Inland Empire caucus of the state Legislature on Friday afternoon to discuss issues facing the region.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
01/04/2015 12:01 AM
It’s a new year and the Capitol’s Democrats should be singing Franklin Roosevelt’s old campaign song, “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
Published: Jan. 1, 2015
Updated: Jan. 2, 2015 – 8:26 a.m.
Before November, “super” described the Democratic advantage in Sacramento.
Democrats still have a firm grasp on California state government, controlling 52 of 80 Assembly seats and 25 of 40 Senate seats along with the governorship and other statewide offices. But Republican victories in several key races ended the Democratic supermajorities in the new Legislature, which convenes Monday.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
12/29/2014 12:01 AM
This year was the second cycle of California’s experiment with the “top-two” primary election system, under which all candidates appear on the same ballot and the No. 1 and No. 2 vote-getters, regardless of party, face each other in the November election.
Allen Young, Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal
Dec 1, 2014 – 12:35pm PST
Stressing the hit to small businesses and motorists in rural areas, Republicans from both houses of the state Legislature lined up another offense against California’s cap-and-trade program Monday.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
12/01/2014 5:37 PM
The Legislature returned to Sacramento on Monday – or, as a dystopian might say, to the scene of its previous crimes.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
11/29/2014 9:30 PM
Four years ago this month, then-Assemblyman Anthony Adams had cleared out his Capitol office following two terms in the Legislature defined by a middle-of-the-night tax vote.
By Josh Richman jrichman@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 11/28/2014 04:19:17 PM PST
Updated: 11/28/2014 04:22:54 PM PST
California’s public officials would have to reveal more about how rich they are and the businesses they’re involved in, under a state Assembly bill to be introduced Monday when the Legislature returns for its traditional one-day December session.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
11/20/2014 8:27 PM
The election is over, the Legislature will soon reconvene and interest groups are starting to beat their drums – signals that the Capitol will soon begin its annual spasm of Darwinian combat known as the state budget.
By Patrick McGreevy
November 11, 2014
There is more legal trouble for the once politically powerful Calderon family.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
11/06/2014 9:22 PM
This week’s election may be establishing a new pattern in California politics that could exacerbate the state’s already high level of polarization.
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
11/05/2014 2:19 PM
Two years after California Democrats swept to commanding two-thirds majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, they were unable to again claim the same margin in the Senate and the Assembly remained in doubt with key races too close to call.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
Here’s some area election results of note.
In San Bernardino, voters dumped charter reform Measure Q. The measure would have removed wage-setting provisions from the city charter to collective bargaining. The city’s police and fire unions easily tubed the measure. The result is a blow to novice Mayor Carey Davis and backers, who put very little effort in support of the measure.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014 – 08:30 a.m.
This is the final update of absentee ballot returns. The data shows voters, Democrats in particular, are disengaged.
Depending on Election Day turnout, Raul Ruiz (D) could be ousted by State Assemblyman Brian Nestande (R) in CD-36. In CD-31, the battle between Pete Aguilar (D) and Paul Chabot (R) is a toss-up. But the numbers currently don’t favor Aguilar. Read the rest of this entry »
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
11/01/2014 4:53 PM
California lawmakers racked up more than $4 million in campaign credit-card charges during the first 18 months of this election cycle.
Saturday, November 1, 2014 – 12:01 a.m.
With just 4 days remaining until Election Day, absentee voter turnout in the Inland Empire, and California as a whole, remains pathetic.
Capitol Alert
The go-to source for news on California policy and politics
By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com
10/31/2014 9:11 PM
Last year’s lobbying violations by the high-profile California Strategies public-affairs firm have emerged as a point of attack in the increasingly nasty campaign between Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced and his Republican challenger, Jack Mobley.
Friday, October 31, 2014 – 09:35 a.m.
New data indicates turnout in the Inland Empire is dismal this year.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 – 09:30 a.m.
The big question this week is will voter turnout affect results in close California contests?
The answer is probably yes.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
10/26/2014 5:00 PM
With Election Day just a week away and mailed ballots already pouring into election offices, California’s biggest political unknown is the balance of power in the Legislature.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 10/25/14, 2:49 PM PDT | Updated: 1 min ago
As candidates for the 40th Assembly District make their final campaign stops, speak to voters and gain endorsements, one local expert said the Nov. 4 turnout will be a factor in how competitive the race will be.
Published: Oct. 13, 2014 – Updated: 10:45 p.m.
Four years ago, the Inland Empire was a battleground in the struggle for Sacramento.
Today, attention and money are going elsewhere, leaving a relatively subdued set of California state Assembly races on the Nov. 4 ballot in Riverside County. Much of the intrigue is in the 28th Senate District contest between Republicans Bonnie Garcia and Jeff Stone.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Published: Oct. 10, 2014 – Updated: 9:56 p.m.
Technically, the race for the Fourth District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is nonpartisan.
But this year’s contest has a partisan feel, with Republican Assemblyman Curt Hagman of Chino Hills taking on Democratic Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod of Chino in a big money contest. The veteran lawmakers are running for a seat currently held by Gary Ovitt, who has served on the board since 2004 and is not seeking re-election.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
Friday, October 10, 2014 – 05:30 p.m.
U.S. Representative Gloria Negrete-McLeod continues to benefit from big money support in her quest for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 – 10:15 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 – 10:53 pm
Two years ago, Democrats won what were quickly dubbed “supermajorities” in both houses of the Legislature, but in the ensuing months, they lost the Senate supermajority.
September 25th, 2014, 12:06 pm
A recent voter registration trend has a Republican state Assembly candidate feeling optimistic.
The GOP now leads the Democratic Party by 152 voters in the 40th Assembly District, which includes Rancho Cucamonga, Loma Linda, Highland, Redlands and part of the city of San Bernardino. Democrats held a 1,467-voter edge over Republicans as of May.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 – 03:00 p.m.
All signs show the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is preparing to enter-the runoff election for San Bernardino County’s Fourth Supervisorial District.
Published: Sept. 22, 2014 Updated: 4:33 p.m.
Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez will meet with constituents at a community coffee from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at Seven Hills Golf Course in Hemet.
SHEA JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
Posted Sep. 20, 2014 @ 12:01 am
Updated Sep 20, 2014 at 9:34 PM
One booming voice could be heard over all others reciting the Pledge of the Allegiance during a recent Hesperia Chamber of Commerce luncheon as if the pledge were his personal mantra.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Sep. 19, 2014 – 8:53 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Sep. 19, 2014 – 10:50 pm
The last weeks of the legislative year are a traditional time for California lawmakers to collect campaign money. With hundreds of bills awaiting final action, breakfast, lunchtime and evening fundraisers crowd a busy end-of-session calendar.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2014 – 10:53 pm
The Legislature was in full sausage-factory mode during the last days of the biennial session that ended on Aug. 30, spewing hundreds of bills onto Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.
By Marc Lifsher
September 7, 2014
Organized labor is having a good year at the Capitol.
The Democrat-dominated Legislature passed and sent to the governor three of four union-priority bills. And Gov. Jerry Brown has already indicated he’ll sign at least one of them.
By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun
Posted: 09/06/14, 11:07 PM PDT |
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Hesperia, bet all his chips on his failed bid to face Jerry Brown for the governorship on Nov. 4 instead of seeking a third term in the Assembly.
Donnelly’s successor will be sworn in Dec. 1, making this past legislative session Donnelly’s last, at least for now.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Sep. 2, 2014 – 4:49 pm
Last Modified: Tuesday, Sep. 2, 2014 – 10:29 pm
Rituals – some formal, some unspoken – are intrinsic to any society, even if they may be unfathomable to outsiders.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014 – 12:00 am
The close of the Legislature’s 2012-14 biennial session also marks the end of a noteworthy period – Jerry Brown’s third term as governor and the reigns of the Legislature’s two top leaders.
Saturday, August 30, 2014 – 01:30 p.m.
The California Senate and Assembly concluded their 2013-2014 legislative sessions early Saturday morning. The end was met with the usual flurry of last minute votes and arguments over the passage of bills covering a wide spectrum of issues.
By Patrick McGreevy
August 30, 2014
The state Senate on Friday acted on stricter ethics rules meant to restore public confidence in the Legislature after three senators were charged with criminal wrongdoing.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014 – 4:32 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014 – 7:55 am
The arrest of Ben Hueso, a Democratic state senator from San Diego, on suspicion of drunken driving very early one morning was not a particularly unusual event.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 25, 2014 – 9:21 pm
Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 25, 2014 – 11:11 pm
As the 2012-14 biennial legislative session entered its final week Monday, it was evident – with very few exceptions – that big public policy issues have given way to conflicts among moneyed interests.
Katie Orr
Monday, August 25, 2014 | Sacramento, CA
California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins says she’ll have to consider whether to create rules about drinking in the Assembly following the alleged drunken driving arrest of Senator Ben Huseo. Hueso is a San Diego Democrat and was photographed on the Assembly balcony with a drink in his hand several hours before his arrest.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Aug. 22, 2014 – 12:22 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Aug. 22, 2014 – 12:48 pm
Hours before state Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, was arrested on Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, he and four other lawmakers were photographed reveling on a Capitol balcony, drinks in hand.
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014 – 8:45 pm
The Assembly on Wednesday deferred for two years the public’s vote on a constitutional amendment empowering lawmakers to strip wayward colleagues of their salaries.
By Patrick McGreevy
August 18, 2014
Amid criticism over three state Senators continuing to collect salaries as they serve suspensions, a ballot measure that would allow lawmakers to suspend colleagues without pay has missed the deadline for the 2014 ballot.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014 – 12:16 am
When schoolchildren visit the Capitol, they often receive sheets of paper purporting to describe how a legislative bill becomes law.
By Patrick McGreevy
August 18, 2014
The state Assembly on Monday approved a measure that would lower the gift limit to elected officials from $440 to $200 and prohibit them from accepting free entry to professional sports and entertainment events, golf tournaments, spa treatments and amusement parks.
By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 – 12:00 am
In a Capitol where contentious lobbying battles are de rigueur, the $14 billion hedge fund that goes by the name Pershing Square Capital Management has picked a most unusual fight.
By Jeremy B. White
jwhite@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014 – 9:40 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014 – 12:15 am
California voters will be asked to authorize $7.5 billion to bolster the state’s water supply, infrastructure and ecosystems in November, as lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday struck a long-sought deal to move a new water bond to the ballot.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014 – 10:27 pm
Last Modified: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014 – 11:30 pm
Chances are that sometime Wednesday the Legislature will place a new water bond issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 11, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 11, 2014 – 6:34 am
With just three weeks remaining in this year’s legislative session and the official deadline for placing issues on the Nov. 4 ballot long since passed, one might think that the Capitol’s politicians would be working night and day to write a new water bond.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014 – 11:15 pm
Last Modified: Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014 – 11:55 pm
The Sacramento Suburban Water District, which supplies water to some older neighborhoods outside the city, is engaged in a decades-long project to replace its aged, undersized water mains and install meters as required by a new state law.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 4, 2014 – 10:19 pm
The water squeeze is on. A few sprinkles fell on the Capitol Monday as the Legislature reconvened, but they didn’t relieve either a severe drought or pressure on members to respond.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Aug. 4, 2014 – 12:00 am
Among some fans, the rap on professional basketball is that players run up and down the court for 45 minutes, exchanging buckets, but games are often decided in the final three minutes of intense physicality.
Sunday, July 13, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.
All the attention given to the over-hyped drama in the 31st Congressional District contest has admittedly been a distraction. But that contest is over and decided. Now CD-31 is likely to shift from republican to democrat hands in November.
But the numbers in another supposed democrat-contest of a republican-held seat appear to tell a different story.
Published: July 5, 2014 Updated: 9:55 p.m.
The latest attempt to let Riverside County supervisors fill vacancies in their ranks appears to be dead, potentially giving the governor the chance to appoint a supervisor by year’s end.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in the Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Jessica Calefati
jcalefati@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 07/05/2014 04:00:00 PM PDT
Updated: 07/06/2014 06:47:14 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO — After state Sen. Leland Yee’s stunning arrest earlier this year, the Legislature’s highest-ranking member urged his colleagues to finally fix a long-standing problem in California politics — the corrupting allure of money.
Thursday, July 3, 2014 – 10:15 a.m.
Here’s some news flowing across the transom Thursday morning.
Official unemployment rate falls in June
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 288,000 jobs were added in June. The number dropped the official unemployment rate (U-3) to 6.1%
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 1, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 1, 2014 – 12:15 am
Eighty years ago, California voters tightened up the state’s weak civil-service system to counter the corrupt practice of politicians padding public payrolls with family members, friends and political supporters.
However, the Legislature was exempted from the ballot measure’s provisions.
By Daniel Rothberg
drothberg@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jun. 27, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Friday, Jun. 27, 2014 – 6:54 am
Fueled by partisan and geographic differences, satisfaction with the Legislature continued a downward swing that began after a state senator was arrested on corruption charges earlier this year, according to a Field Poll released Friday.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 20, 2014
Gov. Jerry Brown, California lawmakers and other elected officials will be getting a two percent raise this year.
Melody Gutierrez
Updated 1:39 am, Tuesday, June 17, 2014
(06-16) 18:47 PDT Sacramento — Republican state lawmakers had a lot to say about the state budget, saying it contained “insidious” back-room deals, spent too much and saved too little. But, their opinions were all they had. Their votes weren’t needed.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 16, 2014 – 9:45 pm
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jun. 17, 2014 – 7:16 am
The political infighting over the next state budget began Sunday night, just minutes after the Legislature passed one that would spend $156.4 billion – $200 billion-plus when federal funds are included – in the fiscal year that begins July 1.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 15, 2014 – 12:00 am
The state constitution bans changing voter-passed initiatives unless voters agree, or the initiatives themselves allow legislative amendment.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 13, 2014
Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders made it clear Friday that they have reached an agreement on a new state budget.
By Jim Miller and David Siders
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jun. 12, 2014 – 11:16 pm
Two years after Gov. Jerry Brown first proposed using carbon-reduction revenue to prop up California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project, Brown and legislative leaders reached budget agreements Thursday that include the controversial funding plan, as well as money to pay overtime for in-home supportive services and increase welfare-to-work grants.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 12, 2014
Against the backdrop of a ruling declaring California’s teacher dismissal rules unconstitutional, the Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown legislation speeding the teacher firing process.
By Jessica Calefati
jcalefati@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 06/10/2014 06:51:33 PM PDT
Updated: 06/10/2014 08:04:40 PM PDT
SACRAMENTO — The knockdown, drag-out partisan fights, stretching on for months, are history. These days, state budget negotiations are downright cordial.
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Jun. 9, 2014 – 12:00 am
Last Modified: Monday, Jun. 9, 2014 – 6:13 am
With less than a week before the constitutional deadline to pass a budget, the Democrats in control at the California Capitol are at odds on the big questions: how much money the state will take in, how it should be spent, and how major programs should be structured.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jun. 8, 2014 – 12:00 am
Approval ratings of the California Legislature, as measured in periodic polling, were in the teens a few years ago but have since improved.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jun. 5, 2014 – 9:58 pm
It’s risky – perhaps even foolhardy – to read much into the results of an abysmally low turnout primary election.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 4, 2014
Last election cycle, the main story was Democrats claiming a decisive two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Legislature.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014 – 09:00 a.m.
Here’s a recap of the June 3 Primary Election results for contests of interest.
Record low, and we mean low, turnout was projected, and it happened!
But no one expected it to be this low.
Melanie Mason, Patrick McGreevy
June 3, 2014
Republicans were the top vote-getters in early election returns for key legislative primary races Tuesday, indicating an uphill battle for Democrats seeking to regain their supermajority in November.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 27, 2014
California’s legislators have seen their incomes go up and down in recent years due to decrees by the state’s salary commission, but remain the highest paid in the nation, according to a new survey by Stateline, a Pew Charitable Trusts website.