After a prolonged transition, the Hollister Democrat was sworn in as Assembly speaker today, taking over from Anthony Rendon of Southern California. It’s been a meteoric ascent for the 43-year-old who grew up in farmworker housing, and worked as a high school counselor and community college teacher while serving as a San Benito County supervisor.

After weeks of negotiations, state legislators will start voting today on a budget deal that sets spending and policy across a wide range of issues affecting Californians.

After manuevering for months, Anthony Rendon and Robert Rivas make a deal on who will be Assembly speaker in the next Legislature. Rendon will stay on, but Rivas will take over at the end of June 2023.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the special legislative session will consider a windfall profits tax on oil companies, in the form of an excise tax, with revenue returned to taxpayers as rebates to offset high gas prices. 

Among the biggest beneficiaries of Govern For California, a network of local chapters — 'force mulipliers' — that amplifies its donors’ influence on legislative races, is Assemblymember Robert Rivas, who wants to become the next Assembly speaker.

After a weekend of lobbying, jockeying and speculating, then a flurry of parliamentary maneuvers and a six-hour closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday, Rivas’ campaign for speaker ended abruptly. California Assembly Democrats decided to keep their current leader, Speaker Anthony Rendon

The mayors want $4 billion per-year for five years in flexible funding as part of the state budget. 

Californians voted by mail in record numbers, potentially avoiding a pandemic superspreader event and showing the nation it could be done.

Anthony Rendon declined to comment on the investigation launched into Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell.

A state lawmaker thinks there should be a warning label for potentially unconstitutional citizen initiatives, like the infamous "kill the gays" bill.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Thursday that grants drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants, while a number of gun control measures are pending approval.