The health care reform debate is the big buzz this afternoon at the state Capitol. But only one chamber will vote on a proposed $14 billion overhaul, while the leader of the other chamber is asking for more information on … Continue reading »

I know, that title makes no sense. But on this week's Capital Notes Podcast, we struggle for analogies that help explain the week's political news on health care reform and the state budget deficit. And one that always gets stuck … Continue reading »

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez today said negotiations on health care reform were closing in on a deal while declaring only one more week to be left for such a deal… and defended his campaign fundraising practices by invoking the words … Continue reading »

[*update, 4:50pm-- well, so much for those tricky campaign finance records. A representative for the campaign fighting the four gaming compacts now reports that there was, in fact, only one $2.5 million contribution from Pala this week. So we'll leave … Continue reading »

Just in time for the holiday wish list of political reporters: a new poll. This one has some good reviews for elected leaders, mixed reviews of an effort to modify the state's term limits law, and skepticism about a proposal … Continue reading »

It remains to be seen exactly how big of a campaign will be mounted against the four tribal gaming deals appearing as referendums on the February ballot. But one prominent tribe has definitely upped the ante in opposition. The Pala … Continue reading »

The weather was sunny in Sacramento today, but the real question was what kind of forecast was being delivered inside the state Capitol… the fiscal forecast, to be precise. Today was the day that budget advisers to Governor Schwarzenegger gave … Continue reading »

This week's Capital Notes Podcast takes you inside an event from a few days ago that was perfect for California political junkies: a gathering of four former state leaders and one incumbent who came together to muse on the subject … Continue reading »

[Note: You'll notice some oddities in the URL for the newsblog over the next few days... we're still having tech issues. Apologies.] The initiative to change how California's electoral college votes are awarded in the race for the White House … Continue reading »

[Thursday, 11:00am: This posting has been delayed by now two days due to some sort of blog software/our system snafu. As you might imagine, it's no fun as a reporter to have your work miss the news cycle. Apologies. --JM] … Continue reading »