CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: December 7, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Whirlwind of a week Jerry Brown set off for Paris but redirected his travel through San Bernardino to meet with law enforcement officials and others on the scene of America’s latest mass shooting. The shooting seems to occupy some strange place between the Paris attacks, which were orchestrated by ISIS, and a very American-style, Fort Hood or office place violence incident. One of the shooters pledged her allegiance to ISIS on ... December 9, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: November 24, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Ripples Across the Pond The terrorist attacks in Paris have reverberated through the political world, changing the tenor and tone of the American presidential contest and setting off a debate in statehouses around the country about housing Syrian refugees. Gov. Jerry Brown has said he would like to see California maintain its “traditional role as a place of asylum,” breaking with other governors who have warned that admitting Syrian refugees ... November 24, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: November 9, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Capitol Happenings The Legislature may be out of session, but there is plenty of political intrigue swirling about Sacramento. With a new set of rules in place for ballot initiatives, thanks to changes passed by lawmakers last year, the calendar deadline to get final measures into the attorney general’s office for review is fast approaching. Over the last two weeks, we saw a broad coalition (with the backing of Napster founder ... November 9, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: October 26, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. On the Election Horizon With the informal deadline for ballot measures for the 2016 campaign fast approaching, there remain very different ideas among those who want to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Conventional wisdom would dictate that unless these forces unite behind a single measure, any effort to legalize pot could be in jeopardy. One of the main efforts in the pot fight is being backed and financed by Sean Parker, ... October 31, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: October 13, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Another One Bites the Dust The dust is just settling on hundreds of bills that were signed or vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown in the final flurry of activity for the 2015 legislative year. The session ended with some classic Jerry Brown signing messages and vetoes, and a strong, implicit message for lawmakers in the year ahead. The governor’s most personal and talked-about signing message accompanied his signature on a proposal ... October 13, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: September 28, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Shaping the Ballot The Legislature may be in recess, but the political fights in Sacramento continue. With lawmakers gone for the year, attention is turning to the ballot, where spillover from the legislative session, and some infighting among Democrats, is beginning to emerge. The big question will be what, if anything, to do about taxes. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen two different versions of proposals to extend ... September 29, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
Why Organized Medicine Matters — Another Example! AB 533 Has Been Defeated! September 17, 2015 Thanks to your assistance, CMA has defeated Assembly Bill 533, which would have transferred negotiating power to health plans at the expense of physicians. AB 533 would have drastically changed the current healthcare marketplace by allowing a massive transfer of negotiating power to the health plans at the expense of physicians. Although CMA is in favor of removing patients from billing disputes between health plans and out-of-network physicians, this specific solution was unacceptable and would have given too much power to health plans. AB 533 ... September 17, 2015 CMA, Legislation AB 533 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: September 15, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. The End of the Road After years of having his way in the state legislature, Gov. Jerry Brown suffered a series of defeats at the end of this legislative year. Some came at the hands of Republicans — like Brown’s failure to muster support for new gasoline taxes to pay for road construction and repairs. Others were handed out by fellow Democrats, including a cluster of members in the state ... September 15, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: September 1, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Where Legislation Goes to Die This week was the virtual thinning of the herd for legislation, as the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees held their annual suspense file hearings. The hearings involved every bill from the opposite house that had made its way through the entire committee process in its house of origin, and through all policy committees in the second house. Many of those proposals were effectively shelved for ... September 3, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: August 17, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Cars, Care, and Climate As lawmakers return from their summer recess, Sacramento is getting ready for the final legislative sprint of 2015. Hundreds of bills will be debated and voted on, but the focus will be centered on three areas of policy debate: transportation, healthcare, and climate change. The four-week stint also offers Gov. Jerry Brown another opportunity to burnish his legacy as he wraps up the first year of his ... August 17, 2015 CMA, Legislation Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »