Author James L’Etoile spent a big chunk of his adult life in prison. Thankfully, he did so on the correct side of the bars as a probation officer, corrections counselor, hostage negotiator and associate warden. Now retired, L’Etoile uses that wealth of experience as a basis for his excellent John Penley mystery series, once of the best out there. The newest in the series, Bury the Past, came out just a few months ago, and he is already working on the next big thing. We sat down with him recently to talk about his work as a writer, life in the gritty California prison system and how sometimes truth is even weirder than fiction.
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These days, most writers are loathe to take a stand or say anything that might alienate any part of their audience. Not so for 
illustrious history and heritage. It's a tough job that is equal parts administrator, historian and educator. But anyone who spends any time around him knows Lucas is up to the task. A highly regarded former journalist, Lucas covered the Capitol for various dailies for over 25 years, giving him both a unique insight into the machinations of state government and a deep appreciation for the role California has played in shaping the America we know today. I sat down with him recently to talk about the job, his former life as a Capitol scribe and the reasons why every aspiring writer needs a good library.
Unless you've been living in a cave for the last two years you are probably very familiar with the term "fake news." But while it primarily wormed its way into the American lexicon during the 2016 presidential election, the challenge of how to discern legitimate news from agenda-driven faux news stories has been around for a long time. Long enough, in fact, that noted Sacramento capitol reporter 
When we last sat down with Sacramento Bee editorial cartoonist