When California politicians talk about “juice,” they don’t always mean citrus. In Sacramento, the state capital, “juice” often refers to campaign cash and political clout. Our new animated video takes a look at how the speaker of the Assembly, John A. Pérez, squeezes the juice.

Guess what? California’s Assembly Democrats pumped $5.8 million into 2012 campaigns targeted by Pérez, a Center for Investigative Reporting data analysis shows. And Pérez often gave the biggest fundraisers leadership posts and seats on powerful “juice committees.”

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