Legislature

As the legislature ended its business for the year in the early morning hours, legislative leaders proclaimed a prolific progressive session.  Not so if you care about consumer protection.
 
Key public interest causes were abandoned because of the power of the usual moneyed interest groups and the dependency of state house politicians on them.
 

As the legislature begins its final weeks a critical patient safety measure is awaiting its fate.

Senator Jerry Hill and patient safety advocates have worked for years to ensure patients have the right to know if their doctor is on probation for violations that place patient safety at risk.

Hill’s plan would inform patients if their doctor is on probation for cases involving sexual misconduct, criminal conviction involving their practice, or drug or alcohol abuse that affects their patients.

While in Beijing last month, Gov. Jerry Brown publicly promoted the fight against climate change. Just as important was the quiet attendance of AES, a major builder of fossil-fuel power plants in California.

Was the governor making plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, or was he making deals to build more climate-warming natural gas plants? Unfortunately, California’s transparency laws don’t ensure the disclosure of such backroom conversations.