Politics

Grover Connell has no Washington office, no full-time lobbyist and no political action committee. He doesn’t hold fund-raisers for candidates and doesn’t like to schmooze at political events. But the New Jersey businessman, who runs a $1-billion export and leasing company, still has been able to make friends in Washington. At least once a week, … Read more

Historically, when U.S. leaders have spoken of pragmatism or realism in foreign policy, it has often been code for subordinating ideals to other strategic and geopolitical priorities. That’s why alarm bells went off among human rights activists last week over Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s policy of “principled pragmatism,” which she laid out in … Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, bows his head as Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians opens a meeting Tuesday with tribal leaders from around the state at the future site of the California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In a Time Life book titled … Read more

Diane Watson is not one to mince words: “I’m a liberal, big-spending, Democrat, female African American,” she declares. “Take me or leave me. That’s who I am.” As her words suggest, Watson–a five-term state senator from Los Angeles–is an in-your-face politician. Forget delicate diplomacy. Forget charm, schmooze and tact. Watson, a former schoolteacher, behaves as … Read more

Constituents from California’s 45th Congressional District gather outside the Irvine office of Rep. Mimi Walters in an effort to get Walters to hold a town hall meeting. Walters has not had a district-wide meeting since before the inauguration of President Trump. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Catherine Nadeau was never a supporter of Rep. … Read more

Lili Bernard, who has accused comedian Bill Cosby of raping her in the 1990s, speaks at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gov. Jerry Brown signed bills this week that were prompted by allegations of sexual assault against Cosby and former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) In the wake of … Read more

A construction worker on a San Francisco building in October. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) California developers and construction workers have long been fighting over wages for carpenters, plumbers, electricians and others who build homes. Now, statewide business and labor groups are working on a deal that both sides hope could lead to a flood … Read more

The idea has become a fixture of Bill Clinton’s campaign: “All my life, I have been an agent of change,” he says. As Arkansas governor, he tells audiences around the nation, “I have taken on the entrenched interests” to fight for change. And, indeed, Clinton’s five terms as his state’s chief executive, covering 12 of … Read more

As the Senate hurtles toward a potential vote next week to roll back the Affordable Care Act, Republican lawmakers still don’t know what legislation they will consider or what impact it could have on health coverage for tens of millions of Americans. Senate GOP leaders have said senators may be voting to simply repeal major … Read more

Elihu M. Harris, Oakland’s new mayor, said Monday that he is not “a man with all the answers,” but that he plans to help reshape the city’s ailing educational system and fight crime. “We must reshape our community, and to this end I will be the point guard,” Harris told the crowd of about 1,000 … Read more