One of the first bits of advice Vice President Joe Biden received after becoming the point person for shaping new federal gun control and mental health proposals in the wake of December’s mass shootings in Newtown, was to follow the California example.
How Much Does the Environment Really Mean to Gov. Brown?
It seemed a bit odd when Jerry Brown, elected to his second go-’round as governor on a strong environmental program, almost immediately abandoned the state’s least expensive, most productive clean-air and environmental preservation law.
Legislative Must for Dems: Force Mystery Donors to ID Selves
Democrats are feeling their oats, enjoying a sense they are unstoppable because they now enjoy one-party rule in Sacramento, including two-thirds majorities in both houses of the Legislature and a Democrat securely in the governor’s office, looking like a lock for re-election if he chooses to run in 2014. But as they contemplate restoring some programs they reluctantly have helped … Read More
New Round of Energy Grants Still Favors Ol’ Boys Over the More Pure Types
Six months after pulling back about $12 million worth of grants to help build refueling stations for the hydrogen fuel cell cars due to debut by 2017, the California Energy Commission is ready to take applications for new grants. The problem: Revised rules issued by the commission appear at first glance to cut out the favoritism that sullied last spring's … Read More
Of Intimidation by the Rich and Why the Top Two Scheme Should Go
No one spent more money trying to influence California politics during last year’s election season than the billionaire Munger siblings, Molly and Charles Jr., the children of Charles Munger Sr., who has provided them piles of money he made as the business partner of famed investor Warren Buffett.
Hand-Wringing Because Republicans Refuse to Change Their Principles
Calls for change by the Republican Party – especially its California branch – came from all sides in the days immediately following President Obama’s re-election.
The Bitter Unfairness of Parcel Taxes
No sooner had the new Democratic supermajorities in the state Legislature been sworn in than some members began pushing to make the least fair of all taxes easier to impose.
Waxman Rubs a Sore Wound: ‘A Lot of Veterans’ Concerns Are Inaccurate’
You didn’t hear a word about homeless veterans in President Obama’s State of the Union speech last January.
Arnold’s Tome, ‘Total Recall,’ Has a Selective Feel to It
Back when movie muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor the first time in 2003, seeking to oust Gray Davis from the chair to which he had freshly been re-elected, he often was accompanied by two types of people:
To Whom Do Tax Dollars Belong?
A key question has raged in California for more than one year, ever since Gov. Brown first proposed two of his key tactics in the ongoing battle against seemingly perpetual state budget deficits.