Articles by Blake Bunch

Credit: kcet.org Governor Jerry Brown and his Democratic company have now devised three budget proposals in California to work toward completion. The state Senate's plan was approved last week, joining Brown's proposals. The Assembly's proposal, however, would rely heavily on the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) revenue projections. These projections differ greatly from Brown's, which were about $3 billion less than the findings of the LAO. Regardless, state Democrats feel that ...

Credit: kcet.org The two-year campaign process in the race for mayor of Los Angeles came to a close on Tuesday. As of 3:00 AM Wednesday, Eric Garcetti was elected mayor of the city. Garcetti beat out his opponent, Wendy Greuel, with 54 percent of the vote to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He will also be the youngest mayor in the city's history. Despite lowered voter expectations, mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti spent furiously in the last week of campaigning, courting ...

Credit: forums.cannabisculture.com Following the California Supreme Court's decision allowing cities to use zoning ordinances to ban medical marijuana dispensaries, several municipalities have become very vocal regarding the issue of medical cannabis. The Civil Grand Jury of Marin County issued a report last week, titled "Medical Marijuana: Up in Smoke." In its report, the grand jury calls on county officials and lawmakers to better represent the interest of those they govern. The report also ...

Credit: Wikimedia Commons A recent piece of legislation in California would allow transgendered student athletes to use restrooms of their gender identity and not their biological sex. Assembly Bill 1266, authored by Assemblyman Tony Ammiano (D-San Francisco), passed the state Assembly, 45-24.. Ammiano claims the bill stems from legislation that protects transgendered individuals from discrimination, like fair housing laws for tenants. Citing the case of Erik Erlick, a transgendered student in...

Credit: officer.com California Governor Jerry Brown announced Monday that the state has undergone an "incredible transformation" since the courts took control of the state's prison health care system. A federal court ordered state officials to reduce inmate populations to 137.5 percent of design capacity by the end of the year. The Brown administration must decrease the populations in the state's thirty-three prisons to roughly 110,000 inmates as a way to increase the quality of health care fo...

Credit: cpapracticeadvisor.com This week, the Supreme Court of California is tasked with making a decision regarding the functionality of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. The court will hear the case of City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness Center, which should prove a major catalyst in formulating marijuana regulations. A new bill, AB 473, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), aims to formulate concrete legislation to which all...

Karen Stapf Walters (center). Credit: regions.acsa.org California Governor Jerry Brown announced Tuesday that he has appointed Karen Stapf Walters as the new Executive Director of the California Board of Education. Walters will succeed Sue Burr, who retired in a November 9 letter to the governor. This letter marked Burr's fortieth anniversary in public service. She thanked the governor for providing "a wonderful coda to my career." After the board's exhaustive efforts in campaigning, and succ...

Credit: sanluisobispo.com On Monday afternoon, former Senate Republican Leader, Jim Brulte, announced he will be a candidate for chairman of the California Republican Party (CRP). According to The Sacramento Bee, Brulte formally announced his candidacy at a conference in San Diego Monday evening, after which he will meet with Republican groups throughout California. Republican influence is dwindling in California, especially following this past election. Currently, Republicans hold no statewi...

The California Safe and Responsible Driver Act is a proposed bill to give a DMV-issued driver’s license to all illegal immigrants in California who can show proof of tax payment or insurance. Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60) was introduced by Luis Alejo (D- Salinas), following a new California law for 2013 which now grants state driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants who arrived in California as children. Under the existing law, in the case of a legal, nonimmigrant driver's license applicant, the DMV i...