Following up a suggestion made last month by a Republican legislator, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has moved to increase California's minimum wage by $1 an hour between now and early next year. Schwarzenegger today petitioned the state's Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) … Continue reading »

The gubernatorial campaign between Democrats Phil Angelides and Steve Westly seems to keep getting more and more testy by the hour. This morning, the Angelides camp launched an anti-Westly website entitled "The Truth About Steve." It focuses on Westly's call … Continue reading »

Former Vice President Al Gore is the latest prominent Democrat to cancel an appearance at UC Berkeley, after a labor dispute on campus threatened to force him to cross a picket line. The university and members of Local 3299 of … Continue reading »

Senate President Don Perata (D-Oakland) says he will convene a special legislative committee to examine President Bush's decision to send National Guard troops to the California-Mexico border. And he says until the many questions surrounding the deployment are answered, he … Continue reading »

A bit of good news that Governor Schwarzenegger's allies will no doubt be trumpeting for the next few days: a major credit rating agency has restored a little of the state's luster on Wall Street. This morning, Standard & Poor's … Continue reading »

At the end of his event in the Bay Area this morning to formally place the $19.9 billion transportation bond on the June ballot, Governor Schwarzenegger seemed to hint there's a middle ground in his opposition to National Guard troops … Continue reading »

Looking for a break from the daily grind of state policy and politics debates? Here's one: a handful of Democratic legislators think they've found a way to ignite formal impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. … Continue reading »

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly has dropped another $5 million into his June 6 primary race, bringing his total personal contributions to $32.5 million. This is the second $5 million check Westly has written to his campaign in less than a … Continue reading »

The Legislature's non-partisan analyst is out with an early look at Governor Schwarzenegger's revised budget plan for the coming fiscal year, suggesting that lawmakers carefully consider their options in the face of a large– and unexpected– infusion of cash. Legislative … Continue reading »

Okay, so it's early to be talking about the fall election when the June 6 primary is still three weeks away. Fair enough, but the November ballot in California is shaping up to be a big one, with a maze … Continue reading »