California currently faces a major public education crisis. Similar to the housing crisis, California’s teacher supply has failed to meet demand, resulting in severe teacher shortages throughout the state. Seventy-five percent of school districts are understaffed, particularly with regard to fully-credentialed teachers. Compounding this problem is California’s affordable housing crisis. Housing
AB 1217 In Depth with Tristan Brown – Part 2
Today’s In Depth conversation picks up where we left off last week with Tristan Brown. As a refresher, you can refer back to Part 1 of our interview where we discussed the lay of the land for public education in California and about
Misconceptions – Bill Deadlines
Welcome to another edition of Misconception Monday where I dispel common misconceptions about the California lawmaking process. In this week’s episode I will go over misconceptions concerning bill deadlines. To learn more, you can also listen to my first Misconception Monday podcast from last week on bills.
SB 54, which has been referred to as the “highest-profile act of defiance to Trump’s nascent presidency,” is indicative of the many ways in which opposition parties have declared war against President Trump’s immigration policies. It is a targeted response to the overlap between federal immigration enforcement and state and local law
Is it deal making, or vote trading?
In this podcast, I explore a question that is often discussed by Capitol observers: Are legislative negotiations considered deal making – and lawful – or vote trading – which would be improper at best, or illegal at worst? We’ll take a look at the relevant constitutional
AB 1217 In Depth with Tristan Brown Part 1
In today’s In Depth conversation, I talked with Tristan Brown – Legislative Advocate for the California Federation of Teachers – about AB 1217. Our conversation ran long, so today’s podcast is just the first part of our conversation. In this portion, we talked about
Welcome to Misconception Monday. This is the first in a series of podcasts that will go up on Mondays about common misconceptions about the California lawmaking process.
Each week, I will dispel misconceptions around one aspect of that process. Today, in my first podcast in the series, I will go
After managing to keep its scam under wraps for at least a decade, it came to light that Wells Fargo was ripping off its customers by opening fake accounts in their name and charging them for the fees associated with those accounts. It was all part of a culture of overworking bank
In the last few weeks, the skeletons began coming out of the Legislature’s closet – haunting stories of harassment of women working in and around California’s Capitol and scarier claims that the Legislature swept those reports under the rug. The claims are still allegations – not reported or investigated because the women
Is the Legislature complying with Prop 25 when they pass budget trailer bills after the fact?
In this podcast, I take an in depth look at an interesting situation that played itself out this past legislative session. In September of this past session, legislators passed two “junior” budget bills and a few dozen