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CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: January 19, 2016

CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. The Budget Battle Begins Gov. Jerry Brown introduced his budget this month, and it was about what was expected for anyone watching the governor in recent years. Brown did propose a solution to the fight over the managed care organization (MCO) tax, though no final deal has been announced. Passing such a tax would require a two-thirds vote, and Republicans have said they’re skeptical of the need for the tax. If ...

CMA Capitol Insight With Anthony York: January 4, 2016

CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Back to Work The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown are back in Sacramento, taking up much of the unfinished business of the 2015 legislative year, and with a few new initiatives in store. The action begins in earnest later this week when Brown releases his state budget plan. With state revenues still strong, the dynamics of the state budget fight are familiar: Democrats will be pushing for expanded spending on social ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...