A new rent control ballot measure would permit local governments establish rent control on buildings over 15 years old and allow landlords to raise rents by no more than 15 percent every three years. This new initiative mirrors one that failed in 2018.

The move to unionize child care workers: there was a rally yesterday at the Capitol where workers delivered over 8,000 union cards. This number of cards qualifies workers to hold an election to form a union. Their union would allow collective bargaining with the state for health care benefits and funding for training, as well as the ability to negotiate wages.

Guests

• CapRadio State Government Reporter Scott Rodd

First, with horse death investigations underway at Santa Anita Park, three more deaths have occurred in recent days. Since December 2018, there have been a total of 42 deaths at the park. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in June of 2019 allowing the state to suspend horse racing at tracks with dangerous conditions. That has, as yet, not happened at Santa Anita.

Next, in a new pilot program, Uber is giving some of its driving contractors more control by letting them set their own rates. Drivers at the Sacramento, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara airports can increase rates in ten percent increments, with a cap. Depending on results, Uber could expand this to other airports. This is an effort to clarify that Uber drivers are independent, not employees, since the implementation of AB 5 on Jan. 1, 2020.

Third, with the impeachment trial underway in the U.S. Senate, the date of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union somewhat uncertain, Newsom has yet to set a date for his own annual State of the State address. 

Guests

• CapRadio State Government Reporter Scott Rodd

With the Nevada caucuses in February and California now a Super Tuesday state, the visits of presidential candidates are increasing in frequency. Just yesterday, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in Stockton and San Francisco. Bloomberg’s San Francisco appearance was with former California Gov. Jerry Brown.

CapRadio’s Scott Rodd spoke with Bloomberg in Stockton, and CapRadio’s Bert Johnson had an interview with Warren in Reno. They fill us in on the visits and what the candidates had to say.

We’ll also explore California’s individual mandate for health insurance coverage with CapRadio’s Health Care Reporter Sammy Caiola. 

Public records requests are tricky and can often take weeks, or longer, before a reporter hears back. And sometimes, the request is denied and the reporter is left without vital data.

CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler has submitted records requests for sexual harassment complaint data from the California Legislature, but officials have refused to provide data on complaints made since January 31, 2019. On the latest Cap Chat, he details what this could mean for how the state handles these claims in the future.

Members of California’s Congressional delegation are center stage at the House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearings on Capitol Hill. The chair of the committee is LA area Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff. The ranking Republican member of the same committee is Fresno Rep. Devin Nunes. Other Californians are Democrats: Bay Area Rep. Jackie Speier and East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell. McClatchy DC reporter Kate Irby joins Insight. She follows the California Congressional delegation. 

California’s State Endorsement Convention is this weekend in Long Beach. One of the surprises is that candidates Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Former Vice President Joe Biden will not attend. What does this mean? 

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the California Democratic Party in conjunction with Univision will host a televised 2019 Presidential Forum from 4 to 6 pm PST. Confirmed candidates are New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Former Health and Human Services Secretary Julián Castro, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, investor Tom Steyer, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler provides a preview to this weekend’s convention.

In this edition of CapChat, we’ll round up the last week’s fire news, the role Gov. Gavin Newsom has played as citizens’ advocate for those affected by successive power shut-offs, while repeatedly publicly blasting PG&E for lack of investment and not managing vegetation to prevent wildfires. Newsom has also said part of the problem has been a “cozy relationship” between the California Public Utilities Commission and PG&E. In addition, Newsom has suggested if the CPUC doesn’t do what he wants it to do with respect to PG&E, he’d try to remove commissioners. 

CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler will talk about the history of the PUC and why commissioners have fixed terms of six years. He’ll also talk about the controversy around AB5 and the effort to put a measure on the 2020 ballot about the gig economy and more on how the November 2020 Ballot is shaping up.

Clarification: CPUC Commissioners serve a 6-year fixed term. Though they are appointed by the governor and must be confirmed by the Senate within one year of their nomination, they cannot be fired. A CPUC Chair/President is also appointed by the governor, and can be removed from that role by the Governor. That person, however, can stay with the PUC as a Commissioner for the remainder of their 6-year term.

California’s state legislative session has finally concluded, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing bills late into the night on Sunday. Included in the bills the governor signed this term are the country’s strongest protections for renters, expanded health insurance coverage and legislation intended to lower the cost of prescription drugs. 

Other measures signed address efforts to prepare the state for impending natural disasters, wildfire safety, economic resiliency and clean drinking water. The governor also vetoed quite a number of bills. In addition, the state has filed over 60 lawsuits — either alone or in conjunction with other states — against the Trump administration, in areas from environmental protection to immigration to funding for the border wall, with many lawsuits still pending. The state has both won and lost several of these suits along the way. CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler, has an update.

Democratic presidential candidates Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Former Vice President Joe Biden held dueling rallies in Reno and Carson City Wednesday night. California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is due in Nevada today.

In a conversation yesterday with CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler, host Beth Ruyak talked about recent changes in California poll rankings of the top candidates: Warren, Biden, Harris and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.  These trends are mirrored in national poll trends, with Warren surging and Harris falling behind.

In the “State of Resistance” currently known as California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra are keeping up the pressure, filing lawsuits against the Trump administration. With the end of the legislative session, Ben and Beth also talked about stylistic differences between Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown. Newsom is focused in many areas at the same time, including the battle with the federal government. Brown was focused on a smaller number of concurrent issues.

And, finally, we discuss the state of the Republican party in California.

This is the time of the year when bills thrive or die.

We’ll have Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler with us to tell us where things stand.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the two houses of the State Legislature spend the winter and spring finalizing a budget, ahead of the key deadline, which is June 15 of every year. California’s fiscal year is July 1 to June 30, so the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year is rapidly coming to a close. Ben will be with us to discuss the budget crunch from the Assembly chamber.

This is a big week in the California State Legislature. We’ve reached that point in the calendar where bills must pass the house where they originated. Big items on that list are police use of force and several others.

Also, the California Democratic Party Convention is this weekend in San Francisco. Fourteen presidential candidates are slated to attend. (Former Vice President, Joe Biden is not attending. He’ll be in Ohio) This alone suggests the importance of California to the 2020 election.

California Democrats have long set the policy agenda for other blue states and are now influencing the party’s presidential primary because the state has moved its primary up to early March. CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler has an update in this week’s CapChat.

Capital Public Radio’s Capital Bureau Chief Ben Adler joins Beth Ruyak to talk about what the budget is looking like at this vantage point.

California officials announced changes to the high speed rail project’s business plan, marking the first time Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vision for the project will be detailed in public. Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler discusses that announcement, plus negotiations on the state budget and the beginning of presidential campaigning in California.

Every May, California’s governor shares a revised budget proposal, updating funding priorities first laid out in the first draft published at the beginning of the year. This process kicks off the final stage of budget negotiations with the state legislature. CapRadio’s Ben Adler will explain what to watch for as Newsom announces his plan to fund the state government in the coming year.

2020 will also bring a hotly-contested presidential race. and the 20 contenders vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination are ramping up their campaigns. That means California will be receiving visits from each of them as they try to build support, including appearances at the California Democratic Party Convention on May 23.

Earlier this week, Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler spoke with Newsom about a number of issues facing the state like wildfire liability for PG&E and access to clean drinking water. For this week’s Capitol Chat, Ben Adler discusses the governor’s promises and progress toward keeping them in this week’s Capitol Chat.

CapRadio's Ben Adler will join us for Capitol Chat to fill us in on new legislation related to three big topics in California today.

Ben is here to fill us in on the fight between the California Teachers' Association and charter schools that is being waged in part in the Legislature. On Wednesday, a California state Assembly committee approved a bill package that would impose a statewide cap on charter schools. Ben will explain what the package would do and what comes next.

He'll also have an update for us on legislators' attempts to place a tax on sugary drinks and on the competing police use of force bills in California's Legislature. This week, Ben reported on the hearing about AB 392, a bill authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber that would change the rules governing police use of deadly force in California.

California lawmakers are considering a pair of competing bills to regulate how and when police officers can use deadly force.

One bill authored by state Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas Valley) and backed by law enforcement groups would include changes that parallel recent recommendations by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to the Sacramento Police Department in the wake of Stephon Clark’s death in March 2018.

The other bill authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) with support by civil rights groups would enact even more dramatic changes.

For this week’s Capitol Chat, Ben Adler breaks down the two competing bills with an update on how lawmakers are tackling the thorny issues involved.

California Republicans are forging a new path forward in 2019 to stay relevant in a Democratic stronghold. Last weekend, the state GOP selected Jessica Patterson to lead, which makes her the first Latina to hold the state party chair position.

CapRadio's Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler joins us to talk about Patterson and the GOP's new approach.

President Donald Trump threatened to reclaim federal funds for California’s high speed rail project this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom responded, “I have no interest in sending back $3.5 billion of federal funding that was allocated to this project to President Donald Trump.”

Meanwhile, California lawmakers are speaking out against President Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border to redirect funds towards a border wall project. California and 15 other states announced that they would be suing the administration over the declaration shortly afterwards. As Newsom and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the suit, Newsom said,“Donald Trump, we’ll see you in court.”

There are competing bills in the California legislature aimed at reducing police shootings in California. CapRadio’s Ben Adler takes us through the differences in this week’s Capitol Chat.

We’ll also hear more of his new story about the style and substance differences between new Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown.

LA Times reporter Sarah Wire joins Insight to talk about her new story “The Power of the California Delegation” on congressional leadership for both Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C.

PG&E’s plans to file for bankruptcy are being met with pushback from consumer advocates, including famous watchdog Erin Brockovich, who gave a speech this week in Sacramento demanding that the utility pay damages to those affected by recent wildfires.

Meanwhile, the ongoing government shutdown is prompting California officials to step into the vacuum left by absent federal funding.

CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler joined Beth Ruyak to parse these stories' impact on the Golden State.