Mark Baldassare

Californians Favor Same-Sex Weddings as Court Weighs Ban

Two weeks after being sworn in as San Francisco mayor in 2004, Gavin Newsom found himself sitting in the the U.S. Capitol gallery watching then-President George W. Bush tell the nation that a constitutional change defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman might be needed.

Brown Sees ‘Bears in Forest’ as Legislative Defeat Looms for Tax-Plan Vote

California Governor Jerry Brown faces his first legislative defeat this year as he races against time to persuade at least four Republican lawmakers to support a June ballot measure on extending tax increases.

California Shows Voters Tiring of Proposition 13 Legacy

With the passage of the first voter- backed statewide tax increase in eight years, Californians sent a clear signal they are tired of failing schools, gridlocked roads and the deterioration over the past decade of the state’s reputation as a standard bearer.

Whitman Governor Bid Imperiled by Latino Voter Erosion

Meg Whitman wanted to portray a new Republican face to Latino voters. Then controversy erupted over the undocumented maid she fired, marring her outreach in the California governor race.

Brown Beats Republican Whitman for California Governor While Outspent 3-1

Jerry Brown defeated the biggest self-funded candidate in U.S. history to become California ’s governor again, three decades after he first took the job.

Amazon Relies on Tax-Averse Californians in ‘Unusual’ Plan to Repeal Law

Californians have shown a penchant for rolling back taxes at the ballot box, a history Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Web retailer, may be banking on to repeal a law aimed at forcing it to collect state sales levies.

California’s Brown Said to Seek Income, Sales Taxes Increases

California Governor Jerry Brown and his allies are readying a ballot measure asking voters to boost income and sales taxes to offset a budget deficit, said a legislative aide with knowledge of the plan.

Majority of California Voters Favor Brown Tax Plan, Poll Shows

Just over half of California’s likely voters support Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to boost income taxes on those making $250,000 or more and raise sales levies to help balance state spending, according to a new poll.

States Should Cut Budgets, Not Borrow, to Balance Budgets, Pew Poll Finds

Lawmakers should cut spending or raise taxes before borrowing to balance budgets, according to a poll of residents in five states that account for almost half of the nation’s projected deficits.

Brown’s Tax-Increase Proposal Wins Favor From Most Californians, Poll Says

Californians, including a majority of Republicans, favor Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to raise taxes to help close a $9.2 billion deficit, a new poll shows.

"Increasingly, politicians have been speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage."

- Mark Baldassare on Mar 24, 2013

California

San Francisco

Jerry Brown

New York