Concerned that a surge in out-of-state students at University of California campuses may put residents at a disadvantage, Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) called Thursday for UC administrators to significantly boost tuition for nonresidents.

In his first major policy proposal since taking over as Senate president pro tem last month, De Leon said he was concerned that some Californians may be unable to afford the UC system or get into the UC campus of their choice because of an increase in students from other states, as well as from foreign countries including China and India.

De Leon called for the change in a letter and phone call Thursday to UC President Janet Napolitano, asking her to consider following the lead of public universities in other states including Virginia, where out-of-state tuition is 17% more than what California charges, or about $4,000 more a year.

“California’s university system is one of the premiere higher education systems in the world and we should...

 Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) declared victory Wednesday after the Associated Press named her the winner of one of the closest congressional races in the nation.

  The latest vote count update showed her running about 2,400 votes ahead of military veteran and Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo).

 "I am honored to have the privilege to continue serving as Ventura County's congresswoman," Brownley said in a statement issued by her campaign.  "This was a hard fought race and I have the utmost respect for Jeff Gorell -- especially for his service to our country."

Gorell said he will wait until more ballots are counted before drawing a conclusion about the contest's outcome.

Brownley is the third of four freshman House Democrats from California to have survived strong GOP challenges.  Reps. Scott Peters of San Diego and Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert won their contests.

The fourth,  Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove, was  running slightly ahead of  former congressman Doug Ose, according to...

The state’s powerful prison guard union has agreed to pay $5,500 in fines for failing to properly disclose nearly $25,000 in gifts it provided to state lawmakers during a three-year period.

The gifts include lodging, meals, wine and spa bags for state legislators at the annual Governor's Cup Foundation golf tournament in Pebble Beach.

The enforcement staff of the state Fair Political Practices Commission is recommending the fines, a fraction of the maximum penalties, against the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., which said the failure to report $24,603 in gifts was inadvertent.

“The public harm inherent in these violations is that the public is deprived of important information regarding the amounts and nature of reportable lobbying activity and activity expenses that may influence public officials,” said a staff report detailing the agreement on the four counts of violations.

The union made the gifts in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and did not report them until between one and...

The group that sponsored Proposition 47, the voter-approved initiative that reduces penalties for drug possession and other nonviolent crimes, has agreed to pay a $2,500 penalty for publishing two videos on YouTube without legally required campaign disclosures.

The one-minute videos included appearances by soul singer John Legend and rapper Jay-Z , and were part of the successful campaign to approve the ballot measure.

A state ethics agency found that the Yes on Prop. 47 committee, Californians for Safe Neighborhoods and Schools, failed to include a disclosure of its name on the videos or list its two highest donors of $50,000 or more, both of which are required by law.

The campaign committee is supported by donations from the ACLU and George Soros' Open Policy Center.

A stipulation order released Monday by the California Fair Political Practices Commission shows that Californians for Safe Neighborhoods and Schools acknowledged the videos appeared without required disclosures, and...

Capitol lobbyist Richie Ross has agreed to pay $5,000 in fines to the state ethics agency for not collecting campaign consulting fees from two lawmakers, thus improperly putting them under the personal obligation to a lobbyist, officials said Monday.

Ross, who agreed to write off the debt owed by the legislators, is one of a few individuals who serve in dual roles as lobbyist and campaign consultant in California state elections.

“The Political Reform Act prohibits lobbyists from doing anything with the purpose of placing an elected state officer under personal obligation to the lobbyist,” said a report on the case by the enforcement staff of the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Ross’ campaign consultant contracts with state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) called for compensation in the form of monthly payments over a set period of months if the candidate won.

A 2009 contract with Lara called for the candidate to pay a win bonus of...

The decades-long battle over medical malpractice limits played out in a very public way with Proposition 46, which would have raised the cap on pain and suffering damages to $1.1 million.

The doctors, insurers and other healthcare interests who opposed that measure scored a major victory with its defeat. But they also notched another notable win in a state Senate race that may not have captured the attention of voters statewide but certainly gained notice in the Capitol.

The race was a costly intra-party battle between two Democratic Assembly members: Richard Pan, a doctor, and Roger Dickinson, an attorney. Pan opposed Proposition 46; Dickinson supported it.

"Clearly, there were people who saw this as a proxy battle" over the medical malpractice law, Dickinson said in an interview last week.

Pan won by the race six points.

The contest attracted nearly $5 million in outside spending, the vast majority to boost Pan. Business interests and labor groups alike allied with Pan, but the...