Capitol Chat - We've just gone through announcement season in American politics. We've seen proposed budgets and heard addresses and rebuttals on the state of the union and on the states. So, now what happens? Today on Insight, while they're in a bit of a lull over at the Capital, we thought we'd take a look at how proposals actually make their way through the tangled jungle that is the California Legislature. Here's one non-surprise: It all happens on deadline. Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler joins us for our weekly look at California's Capitol and what lawmakers are working on.

 

Minimum Wage - President Barack Obama called on congress in his State of the Union address this week to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. Most people think it's unlikely this current congress will raise the national minimum wage any time soon. But California may be a different story. There's a bill working its way through the state legislature would raise California's minimum wage to $8.25 by next year, with additional increases in the future. We'll take a look at the plan, what it would mean for California's economy, and what the business community thinks of the idea.

 

"Sacramento Chronicles" - Sacramento may seem like a sleepy town these days, but it hasn't always been. The city boomed when forty-niners flocked to California, but the road from riverfront trading post to cosmopolitan capital was bumpy and winding. In "Sacramento Chronicles: A Golden Past," historian and local author Cheryl Anne Stapp reveals the setbacks and successes that shaped the city. The book is released today with a book launch on Feb. 28 at Time Tested Books in Sacramento.

 

Keith Lowell Jensen - Sacramento Comedian Keith Lowell Jensen is releasing his third album "Elf Orgy" on Stand Up! Records Feb. 19 and there will be a release party Feb. 24 at the Punchline Comedy Club in Sacramento. Keith has been a regular guest on Insight to talk about his various projects, including the Coexist? Comedy Tour and Comedy Night at Luna's. We'll hear clips from his new album and talk about a possible war with space.