Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) introduced a package of bills Tuesday morning alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and a bipartisan coalition of Assemblymembers aimed at fighting retail theft in California. This bill package results from the months-long effort to tackle this growing crisis, including the formation of the Select Committee on Retail Theft, of which Assemblywoman ...

Host: Pastor Jerry Cook Guest: Lucie Volotzky, Candidate for California State Senate Topic: The state of California and running for state senate Politics & The Pulpit – Lucie Volotzky, Candidate for California State Senate – May 17, 2023 Does God want a separation of church and state? Should Christians be voting for biblical principles? Does it really matter who you ...

Many Homes Purchased After Jan. 1, 2023 Will Be Impacted A bill being considered by the California legislature will propose a capital gains additional surcharge tax of up to 25 percent on all homes purchased and then sold within the state during the initial seven years of ownership. Assembly Bill 1771, (AB 1771), the California Speculation Act, authored by California ...

On Tuesday, it was announced that Congressman Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling on the Department of Education to allow student loan forgiveness in California, hoping to prevent a state doctor shortage. The Department of Education’s exclusion of California and Texas from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) is being challenged by ...

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the selection of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill the seat in the United States Senate vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday. The selection is another history-making moment in Padilla’s career, as he becomes the first Latino to represent California in the Senate after previously becoming the first Latino to hold the ...

Lance Izumi Pacific Research Institute  Lance Izumi is Koret Senior Fellow in Education Studies and Senior Director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute, a California-based public policy think tank.  He is the author of numerous studies and books, including the 2017 book The Corrupt Classroom.  He is a regular opinion contributor to Education Week, the country’s ...

Patrick O’Donnell Assemblymember, 70th District  In November 2014, Patrick O’Donnell was elected to the California State Assembly to represent District 70, which includes the cities of Long Beach, Signal Hill San Pedro as well as Catalina Island. Assemblymember O’Donnell is a teacher with over 20 years’ experience in the classroom. As a leader dedicated to quality education, he helped create ...

Deborah Gonzalez Director of Government Affairs, PPIC Deborah Gonzalez is director of government affairs at PPIC. She and her staff work to connect PPIC research with policymakers and community leaders. A longtime Capitol staffer, she served as policy and fiscal director for six legislative leaders and worked on a wide variety of issues—including the state budget, education reform, infrastructure funding, ...

Patrick Moran Lobbyist, CA State Firefighters Association  Patrick Moran has more than 22 years of lobbying and legislative experience. Patrick was chief lobbyist for the California State Firefighters Association (CSFA) where he was responsible for all of the governmental affairs of the organization.  He also served as Special Consultant to Speaker Herb Wesson and Speaker Fabian Nunez where he worked ...

Jennifer Pierre State Water Contractors Jennifer Pierre is an expert in water supply and restoration management. As general manager, Pierre oversees the execution of the SWC’s objectives and overall operations. Pierre leads SWC’s participation in developing the framework for the state’s management of water supply and ecological issues within the Delta. Additionally, Pierre manages coordination with the CA Department of Water ...