The year is fast coming to a close, and this week is our last 2014 edition of our weekly political segment State of Affairs, so we're rounding up the six "sexiest" political stories of the year (in no particular order) with Southern California Public Radio political reporters Alice Walton and Frank Stoltze:
- Back in January, longtime Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca abruptly resigned amid widespread allegations of misconduct within his department. November brought the election of a new sheriff, Jim McDonnell, who has promised to reform the agency.
- Another big story, the elaborate FBI sting which busted all sorts of folks, including state Senator Ron Calderon. That and the bust of State Senator Leland Yee, made this year a notable one for indictments of California politicians.
- There was a changing of the guard in Los Angeles County politics this year: Long-time political figures Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky were termed out of office. They've loomed large in so many ways that their absence really marks the end of an era.
- One of the biggest trends in California politics has be the rise of Asian American political power. We saw evidence of this on the local and state-wide level this year.
- Another notable trend: gay political power grew this year. Voters elected a first gay mayor of Long Beach, first gay L.A. County Supervisor, and first gay L.A. County Assessor, and more.
- And we can't forget about the unprecedented election of Governor Jerry Brown. He'll serve a historic fourth term as governor of the Golden State.
