As predicted, the late State Senator Jenny Oropeza was re-elected last night to serve the 28th District, which covers Long Beach and parts of the South Bay, according to ABC7. A special election will be held to put another Democrat in her place in the vacant seat. Oropeza died on October 20th "of complications from a blood clot in her abdomen" following a long battle with liver cancer. more ›

First a L.A. City Councilmember, now this? A state Senator who represents a portion of South L.A. and surrounding communities was indicted today for a number of felonies by a Los Angeles County Grand Jury. Senator Roderick Wright is accused of "filing a false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud and perjury beginning in 2007, when he changed his voter registration to run for the Legislature," according to the LA Times. more ›

Puppet shows for gridlocked drivers may or may not be illegal, but a state bill seeking the realities behind digital license plates that would show ads has already been approved by the California Senate and will be heard by an Assembly Committee today. more ›

Last week Republican Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield was arrested on suspicion of a DUI. He's been on leave since then and today made a big announcement in a radio interview. "I'm gay," he said. "Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long." He was leaving a gay club the night he was arrested. The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert blog notes that Ashburn consistently has voted against gay-rights measures, but today explained that his votes were a reflection of his constituency's desire, not his own. more ›

It's an election that's not much talked about. Next Tuesday, voters of the 26th State Senate district (map) will go to the polls and choose one of eight candidates to take the seat once held by the now County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. That means residents from Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silver Lake to South LA and Culver City are all called back to the polls twice in the same month. "Just two freakin’ days after this last election — I find yet another official sample ballot," huffed Will Campbell at Metblogs. "Owing to how only a whopping 15% of those voters registered bothered to cast ballots Tuesday, I get the feeling this race might literally be decided by one of the eight candidates’ mothers." more ›

There are a few things you can't do in apartments. There are things that you can't do anyway, like drugs, but you also can't break holes in the walls unless you own the place. Well, that's what Jackass star Steve-O did this weekend before his neighbors placed him under citizen's arrest, then turning him over to police, who in turn searched his apartment and found drugs. more ›

State Senator Sheila Kuehl is at it again, but this time it's not about speed cameras in Beverly Hills, it's about writers and other artists getting their fair share of residuals. In a press release from the Writers Guild of America, they explain the problem of underselling television series and movies and what SB1765, the "Fair Market Value Bill," aims to do:

Since the major media networks in the United States have come to own many cable channels, the practice of selling TV series or movies for less than the fair market value of the content has become more and more prevalent. In many cases, the product is sold or licensed from one entity to another entity within the same parent company. This creates a problem for actors, writers, and performers who rely on the amount of a sale of material for their residuals – payments made to the creators or performers of a work for showings or screenings after an initial use.

The election trail continues to heat up for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as four looming primaries in the next couple of weeks could go a long way toward deciding the nominee. On Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin and Hawaii will go to the polls and on March 4, Texans and Ohio-ans will do the same. How are things shaping up? more ›

Last Monday, State Senator Bob Dutton, a Republican representing the 31st District (cities East of Los Angeles including Riverside and Rancho Cucamonga), introduced Senate Bill 1142, a bill that would make changes to 21455.5 of the Vehicle Code. You may be more familiar with the law when put this way: it allows enforcement cameras at intersections (don't run a red light or you'll be on candid camera). The Legislative Counsel Digest says this about the bill:

Existing law authorizes the limit line, intersection, or other places where a driver is required to stop to be equipped with an automated traffic enforcement system, as defined, if the system meets certain requirements. Existing law limits the authority to operate an automated traffic enforcement system to governmental agencies in cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

Jack-In-The-Can by RNL more ›

As just the latest of high-profile California lawmakers to endorse her presidential bid, Senator Dianne Feinstein should add a bit more West Coast mojo to Hillary Clinton's already momentous campaign. The latest poll figures have her up 49% to 24% over Barack Obama in California, and she is leading the field in most other early primary states — though not in the fund-raising department, where Obama is kicking some serious tush. Her latest California... more ›

Tomorrow, California joins the eleven other states that participate in the Mega-Millions lottery game. It is the nation's largest game with the potential for the most prize money (and the worst odds). The expected jackpot for tomorrow is $42 million (Saturday's California only Super Lotto Plus is a piddling $10 million). The new game doesn't come without controversy, though. As discussed on Which Way, LA? last night, the state legislature doesn't believe that the state lottery commission has the legal right to join the multi-state game (or change any of our lottery games in a significant way) without government approval. State Senator Florez talked as if this was another one of the many battles between what the Governor wants and what the rules of the state allow. more ›

The election of Antonio Villaraigosa as Los Angeles mayor continues to have a "musical chairs" effect through city politics, as the players jockey for better seats to get their issues heard. This time it's the unions aiming for the political equivalent of floor seats at Staples Center. more ›

As promised, LAist looks at the other two “major” candidates for office. Walter Moore deserves (and will receive) his own post in due time. more ›

Scheduled to appear: more ›

The first LA mayoral debate, hosted last night at the Museum of Tolerance, probably wasn’t on the radar of local voters. Many are still worn out from the long presidential campaign that ended just a month ago; others are simply wrapped up in the holidays. more ›

California Peace Action is an organization that honors legislators for leadership on human rights and foreign policy. more ›