Senator Scott Wiener: California and AI

Lobbyist, professor, and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento.

George Steffes: 1935-2025

Sacramento lobbyist George Steffes.

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 07.07.2025

Longtime Capitol lobbyist and Reagan aide George Steffes has passed. He died at UCD Med Center after weeks of hospitalization after suffering a fall. He was 90.

Capitol Briefs: Weed taxes, algorithm collusion and the fate of Democracy

California's historic Capitol dome. Image by :Wallentine

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 07.11.2025

We are marching quickly toward the Capitol’s summer recess, but we’re not there yet. This week’s Capitol Briefs are here.

California and AI: Capitol Weekly conference recap

Senator Scott Wiener delivers the Keynote at the California and AI conference on July 8, 2025. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 07.10.2025

At the latest Capitol Weekly-University of California Student and Policy Center conference this week, “California and AI,” panelists explored the policy implications of the transformative technology sweeping the globe and embraced by fields as diverse as medicine and hospitality.

Submission guidelines for op-eds

Image by Fokusiert.

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 07.10.2025

Capitol Weekly welcomes Opinion pieces and Commentaries on California public policy or politics. Please note that we receive many submissions, often on the same topic, and not all submissions will be published.  Acceptance for publication is at the discretion of the editor.

Compliance offsets add real value to California

Image by ANAN YOSSINGKUM.

by JON COSTANTINO posted 07.11.2025

OPINION – The Verified Emissions Reduction Association, or VERA, is a coalition of members with vast experience in achieving real, quantifiable, permanent, enforceable and addition emissions reductions in a cost-effective manner.

Additional California drafting notes

Image by hapabapa

by CHRIS MICHELI posted 07.11.2025

As I make my way through bills in the second house policy committee, I continue to run across interesting provisions contained in these bills. Here is a short explanation of some recent examples from 2025 bills that the “legislative geek” in me finds interesting.

A chat with Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari

Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 07.07.2025

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We’re joined today by Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary to Governor Gavin Newsom and head of the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs. Snider-Ashtari was first appointed to the position in 2018 by Governor Brown and previously served as Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission. We spoke to her about both governors’ approaches to Tribal policy, about the California Truth & Healing Council, and about the deep Native history on Alcatraz, which President Trump has suggested might be returned to use as a federal prison.