CA City Council Votes The BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA City Council unanimously votes to become the nation’s first sanctuary city for adult recreational marijuana use. The ordinance bars city agencies and employees from turning over information on legal...
Ready to remove the roadblocks to real results in 2018? It’s simpler than you think. As you plan for this year, you know that your customers are going to want financial insights that help them grow. But how do you ensure you’re giving them...
Before social media—and even in its early days—word of mouth advertising (WOMA) relied heavily on family and friend networks, but the rise of social media influencers has changed the WOMA game. Now, popular YouTubers, Instagrammers and bloggers...
An old adage says the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. The same can sometimes be said of the road to legislation. Today’s example comes from California, where Assemblymember Ian Calderon has sponsored a bill aimed at reducing the number...
It’s been almost 30 years since Utah sent a statue of one of its favorite sons – globally renowned inventor of the television Philo Farnsworth - to stand in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. But Philo’s time may be winding...
The late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead once said, “You don’t want to be the best of the best. You want to be the only one that does what you do.” California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom loves that quote – loves it! So much so that...
It is probably hard for most folks to imagine an idea too ridiculous for California, but gubernatorial candidate John Cox has found it. Yes, as the Sacramento Bee reports , Cox failed in his mission to get a measure on the November ballot that would have...
Happening In CO The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City conditionally grants a master account to The Fourth Corner Credit Union, a COLORADO credit union created to exclusively serve the legal marijuana industry. The approval lists a number of conditions...
NY Assembly Endorses AB 9605 The NEW YORK Assembly endorses AB 9605 , legislation that allows unauthorized immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at Empire State colleges and universities, and be eligible for receiving tuition aid. It is the eighth...
SC House Approves HB 3529 The SOUTH CAROLINA House approves HB 3529 , a bill that would bar local municipalities from enacting bans on the use of plastic bags. It moves to the Senate [POST & COURIER [CHARLESTON]).
NM House Approves House Memorial 9 The NEW MEXICO House approves House Memorial 9 , a measure that would authorize a study on allowing residents to buy in to the state Medicaid system. The measure moves to the Senate (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT)...
GA Senate Approves HB 159 The GEORGIA Senate approves HB 159 , which among several things shortens the time allowed for a birth mother to change her mind after giving up her child, allows adoptive parents to reimburse birth mothers’ living expenses...
VA Senate Approves SB 168 The VIRGINIA Senate approves SB 168 , legislation that allows Old Dominion prosecutors the option to charge minors who share nude or sexually explicit photos via a cell phone, or “sexting,” as a misdemeanor rather...
CA Court Rules A CALIFORNIA court rules that a BAKERSFIELD baker was within her rights to refuse to make a cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony. Superior Court Judge David R. Lampe called wedding cakes “artistic expression,” making it exempt...
Expressing concern that regulators are too focused on “ancillary stuff,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) urged state regulators to prioritize setting up the state’s basic retail framework before worrying about licensing pot cafes...
Hawaii Gov. David Ige and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy , both Democrats, became the latest governors to issue executive orders requiring internet providers to adhere to net neutrality if they want to be eligible for state contracts. The orders follow similar...
OR GOV CALLS ON GOP LAWMAKER TO RESIGN : OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) called on Sen. Jeff Kruse (R) to resign last week after an independent investigator determined he had repeatedly subjected women to uncomfortable hugging and unwanted touching even...
As SNCJ reported last week , more women are running for political office this year, after being energized by the election of President Trump and movements like the Women’s March. That enthusiasm appears to have trickled down to the local level in...
A federal judge has struck down Florida’s clemency system for restoring the voting rights of ex-felons, ruling that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s First and Fourteenth Amendments. “Florida strips the right to vote from every...
US SUPREME COURT REJECTS PA CONGRESSIONAL REMAP DELAY: A request from PENNSYLVANIA Republicans to delay redrawing the state’s congressional districts was rejected by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who fields emergency appeals from that...
A proposed initiative for California’s November ballot would make a big change to Proposition 13, the landmark Constitutional amendment approved by the state’s voters in 1978, limiting property taxes to 1 percent of a property’s market...
Job vacancies at government agencies are up from coast to coast. About 11 percent of the positions in Maryland’s executive branch are currently unfilled, about twice the rate in 2010. Between 15 and 17 percent of the clerk positions at courts that...
WI GOV OPEN TO GAS TAX: WISCONSIN Gov. Scott Walker (R) said last week he was willing to raise the state’s gas tax to provide additional funding for transportation, as long as the tax increase was offset by other tax cuts. His statement came...
At least 18 bills dealing with blockchain or distributed ledger technology have been introduced in 11 states so far this year, according to LexisNexis State Net’s legislative tracking system. Another five blockchain-related measures that were introduced...
State lawmakers have spent much of the last few decades grappling with the sweeping changes brought by the Internet. Even as that process continues, a recent technological innovation, blockchain - which some have called “Internet 2.0” - appears...