California State Senate

Last Night: Charge of the Light Brown Apple Moth at Town School for Boys

Stealth Bloggers

Posing as journalists, bloggers got paid to write positively about Mark Leno.

Working-Class Struggle

Three housekeepers and a day laborer take action against deadbeat employers who abuse immigrants

Believe It or Not!

Let's get beyond the balderdash and take a closer look at the motivations behind some political campaigns

Hey, Man, Got Any ID?

Why the Legislature shouldn't extend the city's medical marijuana identification system statewide

The Last of the Burtons?

They have dominated state and local politics for 50 years. Now, for the first time, the future of their "family business" is in doubt.

Letters to the Editor

Power to the People; A Love/Hate Relationship

Deadbeat Heaven

Parents who refuse to pay child support don't have much to worry about in California. Or, for that matter, San Francisco.

The Burton Money Machine

John Burton's 1040s reveal that politics doesn't pay

State Senate Committee Moves to Allow Toxic Waste In County Dumps

Thanks, Ma: Toxic waste from old cars is still hunky dory in California The California Senate's Environmental Quality Committee today unanimously approved a bill that would block environmental officials from preventing 700,000 tons of toxic waste from being dumped into county landfills each year. As ... More >>

Chronic City: Aptly Named 'Joint Resolution' Succeeds; California Senate Urges Change in Federal Medical Marijuana Rules

​By a 23-15 vote, the California State Senate yesterday approved a "joint resolution" urging the federal government to stop Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. The Sen. Mark Leno-authored resolution additionally calls for the nation to "create a compreh ... More >>

In environmental terms, Cash for Clunkers is a jalopy

​By a 23-15 vote, the California State Senate yesterday approved a "joint resolution" urging the federal government to stop Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. The Sen. Mark Leno-authored resolution additionally calls for the nation to "create a compreh ... More >>

The Wrong Stuff

Candidate Newsom is “narcissistic,” “thin-skinned,” “disloyal,” and “friendless.” And that’s from his former supporters.

Chronic City: Feds Lighten Up On Medical Marijuana Just As L.A. Tightens The Screws

Photo by Rotbuche, Wikimedia CommonsLet my people grow.​In a stunning bit of role reversal, law enforcement officials in dispensary-heavy Los Angeles County are gearing up for a massive mobilization against hundreds of pot shops even while the Obama administration backs away from the federal gover ... More >>

Charitable Front

Mysterious organizations in the Bay Area profess to be advocating for liberal causes. In truth, they appear to be part of a secretive group with a bizarre radical past.

California Closes In on Supporting Gay Binational Couple Bill

Super!​The California State Senate passed a bill Monday urging Congress to greenlight legislation that would allow gay "permanent partners" to sponsor each other for visas. The only hurdle left is for the State Assembly (which already passed an earlier version of the bill 45-29) to approve the new ... More >>

The High Road

Growers who cashed in on illegal pot now welcome legalization and taxation.

State bill makes malicious sock puppets a crime

Growers who cashed in on illegal pot now welcome legalization and taxation.

The Top 10 Closeted Conservatives of All Time

Ken Mehlman has had plenty of dancing partners at the hypocrisy party​When Ken Mehlman crawled out of the closet last week he dragged a legion of filthy dust bunnies along  with him. For years, Mehlman was the mouthpiece -- and brain trust -- of the political party that built its reputation a ... More >>

Don't worry, America. San Francisco knows what's best for you

Ken Mehlman has had plenty of dancing partners at the hypocrisy party​When Ken Mehlman crawled out of the closet last week he dragged a legion of filthy dust bunnies along  with him. For years, Mehlman was the mouthpiece -- and brain trust -- of the political party that built its reputation a ... More >>

Dianne Feinstein Tells Francisco to Go Smoke a Fat One

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, San Francisco.​Wait, not all of your tax dollars are wasted in San Francisco. Your local bureaucrats make it part of their job to send a letter every February to state and federal politicians restating the city's desire that the government legalize marijuana. No ... More >>

Veteran Con Man Back to Swindling Elderly Veterans

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, San Francisco.​Wait, not all of your tax dollars are wasted in San Francisco. Your local bureaucrats make it part of their job to send a letter every February to state and federal politicians restating the city's desire that the government legalize marijuana. No ... More >>

California Senate May Vote on Shark Fin Ban Today

A​B 376, the bill banning the sale and import of shark's fin in California, may be up for a vote today in the California Senate. According to representatives from the offices of Assemblymember Paul Fong, who introduced the bill this spring, AB 376 is on the agenda.California is the fourth state in ... More >>

California Senate Passes the Shark's Fin Ban

AB 376 may help reduce the demand for shark fins, above.​According to staffers in the office of Assemblymember Paul Fong, the California Senate just passed AB 376, the statewide ban on selling or importing shark's fin, with a vote of 25 to 9. California may soon become the nation's fourth state to ... More >>

Shark Fin Officially Banned in California

This time it's personal.​Breaking news from Jonathan Kauffman on our sister blog SFoodie: According to staffers in the office of Assemblymember Paul Fong, the California Senate just passed AB 376, the statewide ban on selling or importing shark's fin, with a vote of 25 to 9. California may soon be ... More >>