Politics

California’s late-1990s economic boom may be best known for creating swaths of dot-com millionaires. But it also helped to shrink income inequality and lift millions of residents out of poverty, according to a report released today. The analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that the state’s long expansion from 1993 to 2000 … Read more

A photo collage of several political ads about fundraising text messages from politicians. (Los Angeles Times) “Hi, we chose you for our Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Candidate Assessment but you didn’t respond. It’s only 11 questions,” the text message said, followed by a link. The scolding came out of the blue, given that I hadn’t … Read more

Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco are shown. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) State Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) wants California to take an active role in setting customer prices for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies. His bill sailed through the Senate committee he leads Tuesday, ratcheting up a fight between the popular tech companies … Read more

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) walks through the Capitol on March 3 in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press) House Republicans unveiled a spending bill Saturday that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, pushing ahead with a go-it-alone strategy that seems certain to spark a major confrontation with Democrats over … Read more

The Medicare overhaul that gave a prescription drug benefit to seniors will cost at least $134 billion more than the $400-billion price tag President Bush and Congress agreed to last year, administration officials and congressional aides said Thursday. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the revised estimate was the product of … Read more

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney has denounced those in thrall to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Republicans who pal around with white supremacists. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Mitt Romney has been several things in his political career. The socially moderate governor of Massachusetts. The “severely conservative” 2012 GOP nominee for president. The adopted son … Read more

A man in line for a Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in August holds a symbol for QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory that Facebook and Twitter have promised to help curb. (Associated Press) There is nothing subtle about the script President Trump is preparing for election day, as he and his supporters — fearing defeat … Read more

L.A. County is heading into a rough budget season. Some officials worry federal cuts will make it worse. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Rebecca Ellis, with an assist from my colleague David Zahniser, giving you the latest on local … Read more

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), shown at a July news conference in Orange, is on unpaid leave from the UC Irvine law school. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The high cost of housing in Orange County created an obstacle for UC Irvine when it sought to recruit talented faculty and administrators. So state university leaders … Read more

Sen. Bernie Sanders would be a fan of California, where taxpayers pay more than their fair share, columnist George Skelton writes. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Bernie Sanders wags his finger and shouts that the richest 1% should pay their fair share. No one can argue they aren’t already in California, at least in … Read more