Robert Hertzberg

Faced with a huge budget deficit, legislators are on warning not to expect bills with a high price tag to pass. But that’s not always the goal of introducing bills.

In a year of unprecedented turnover in the California Legislature, several lawmakers are trying to bequeath their seats to relatives and staff members. Critics say they're trying to game the system.

A CalMatters investigation found that at least 1,300 people have been locked in county jails for longer than three years awaiting a trial or sentencing. The findings are “surprising and embarrassing,” said State Sen. Tom Umberg, chair of the Judiciary Committee.

Una investigación de CalMatters encontró que al menos 1.300 personas han estado encerradas en cárceles del condado durante más de tres años esperando un juicio o sentencia. Los hallazgos son "sorprendentes y vergonzosos", dijo el senador estatal Tom Umberg, presidente del Comité Judicial.

California’s elected officials have backed a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2023 but a new report says only a few of them pay their legislative interns.

Los funcionarios electos de California han respaldado un salario mínimo de $15 por hora para 2023, pero un nuevo informe dice que solo algunos de ellos pagan a sus pasantes legislativos.

For anyone who has spent the last five months working from home, these teleconference call mishaps ought to sound familiar:  Your lunch delivery arrives smack in the middle of a presentation, or your dog won’t stop yapping.  An exasperated colleague drops a muted but unmistakable F-bomb.  A co-worker mocks a colleague’s comments to his “hon” […]

Some California legislators are considering a sales tax on services. A services tax won't reduce California's budget volatility and would worsen the state's affordability crisis. With record budget surpluses, talk of new taxes should be political malpractice.

Those DMV voter registration snafus, a Supreme Court win for California cities, lung cancer rates plummet, how Cox and Newsom would differ from Jerry Brown, UC outsourcing, PG&E and the CALmatters voter guide.

Calfornia shelved a big police reform bill, the bail bonds industry announced plans to launch a referendum, SB 100 went to the goverrnor, and a lead paint deal failed.