A Republican assemblyman announced Thursday that he will propose a constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote by the Legislature to pass budget bills and to require the state controller to withhold lawmakers' pay if an approved budget is not balanced.

Let the endorsements begin: The California Democratic Party votes this weekend on its official candidate picks for the June 5 primary.

Distressed homeowners in the Sacramento region will get an estimated $1.2 billion over the next three years under a 49-state settlement with the nation's largest banks over foreclosure abuses.

When Molly Munger's name surfaced last year as a potential partner on efforts to provide more funding for schools, California State PTA President Carol Kocivar had to turn to Google to find out who she was.

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has assailed the Assembly for passing a bill that would strip power from the Judicial Council she controls, prompting opponents to suggest her tone is inappropriate for the state's top judge.

Redevelopment is dead after more than six decades as a multibillion-dollar government economic development tool.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg says he isn't letting a nonprofit's decision to scrap a proposed ballot initiative targeting public employee pensions change his commitment to tackle that issue.

Saying that his position has become a "lightning rod for controversy," Ronald G. Overholt resigned today as interim administrative director of California's court system.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said today that a nonprofit group's decision to scrap a proposed ballot initiative targeting public employee pensions does not alter his commitment to tackle that issue.

The cause of pension reform in California took a significant body shot Wednesday when a group hoping to put an overhaul measure before voters this year suspended its campaign.

This is the third in a series of posts that will detail the 2011 political spending by California state workers' unions. The records are downloaded from the California Secretary of State's office and reflect activity filed as of Jan. 31, 2012.

Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker has said that the union's legal team advised that broader litigation wasn't likely to win, so the union cut its losses and took what it could get from a settlement.

State officials announced Wednesday that South Yuba River State Park near Grass Valley will be taken off the list of parks slated for closure later this year.

Today's State Worker column breaks down which unions are in and which are out of the court fight over furloughs. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association are the latest to lay down arms.

Gov. Jerry Brown will be making an appearance tonight as electric-car maker Tesla Motors unveils a new vehicle in Los Angeles County -- its Model X.

Supporters of California's beleaguered high-speed rail project – principally contractors and the construction trades that could gain work through the project – are fighting back.

The California Department of Fish and Game intends to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its policy banning trees on levees.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association quietly dropped two furlough lawsuits last week, one in Alameda Superior Court and the other a federal case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The California Department of Fish and Game intends to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its controversial policy banning trees on levees, warning the policy could devastate wildlife and riparian habitat.

A coalition representing Northern and Central California contractors and union construction workers launched a radio campaign this week applauding the state's proposed high-speed rail system.

A group that hoped to put a sweeping public employee pension reform measure on the November ballot is suspending its campaign.

California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment reported political contributions of $154,200 and political expenditures of $206,443, according to records published by the state.

The Legislative Analyst's Office raised concerns with Gov. Jerry Brown's higher education budget in a new report today, including his plans to tighten Cal Grant requirements and automatically increase funding if his tax plan passes.

A Democratic political strategist and a former Democratic assemblyman will help lead opposition to a proposed ballot initiative that would reduce California's Legislature to part-time.

CalSTRS has issues with Facebook Inc. as the social networking giant prepares its epic initial public stock offering.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation's efforts to defuse the controversy over its funding dispute with Planned Parenthood hasn't done much to improve its standing with the California Legislative Women's Caucus.

The Great Recession has left more California families with mounting medical debt and a tenuous grip on the insurance needed to afford care, a new UCLA study revealed.

In a landmark victory for gay rights advocates, a federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled California's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

Actor and director Rob Reiner is in town: He'll be honored today at the joint conference of First 5 California and the Water Cooler branch of civil rights lawyer Molly Munger's Advancement Project.