Michael Rubio

The day after a special election last week, Republican Andy Vidak declared victory in the race for a vacant state Senate seat. He had 52% of the vote. But provisional ballots counted since then put Vidak just below the majority vote he needed to win the...

Democrats picked up another seat in the state Assembly in Tuesday’s special legislative elections, restoring their two-thirds majority in the lower house, while a Republican was the apparent upset winner of a race for an open Senate seat. With...

SACRAMENTO -- A day after Gov. Jerry Brown said overhauling California’s environmental laws was unlikely this year, the leader of the state Senate said Wednesday the effort is very much alive in the Legislature and he thinks it can be accomplished...

 Hours after withdrawing two appointments to a panel that sets his salary, Gov. Jerry Brown announced late Wednesday that he is appointing another person to the California Citizens Compensation Commission. The appointment of Nancy C. Miller, 60, of...

SACRAMENTO -- A state lawmaker has revived legislation to regulate medical marijuana in California, saying the measure is necessary to clarify hazy legal areas that continue to plague the state's pot program 16 years after voters approved it. The...

A competitive race is shaping up in the Central Valley to fill the vacancy created when Michael Rubio resigned from the state Senate, and Senate Democratic leaders have picked their favorite. Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez, a Democrat, is the...

SACRAMENTO -- Labor and environmental groups rallied Tuesday on the steps of the Capitol to protest efforts to overhaul California's landmark environmental law. Representatives from unions and environmental organizations -- backed by dozens of...

Laying the groundwork for debate over half a dozen bills that would send parole violators back to prison, Assembly Democrats on a public safety committee Tuesday shot down a bill that would require prison for paroled sex offenders who fail to register...

SACRAMENTO — State Sen. Jerry Hill grew up in San Francisco and vividly remembers the rare suffocating days of late summer when the fog fled and people sweltered. The city's natural air conditioner clicked off, temperatures soared into the 90s and...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday called a special election to fill the 16th District state Senate seat vacated last month by Michael Rubio. The primary will be May 21 and, if no candidate wins a majority, a runoff would be held July 23. Nobody...

By any numerical measurement, the California Republican Party has hit hard times. Fewer than one out of three registered voters call themselves Republicans, and the party doesn't control a single statewide elected office.  In Monday's column, George...

SACRAMENTO -- Despite efforts to restrict the practice, California elected officials were showered with gifts last year from special interest groups, including tickets to Lakers and Giants games, concerts, cigars, expensive meals, lodging at casino...