When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a 116-page report last spring that ranked California dead last among all states in the way state laws affect both hiring by private businesses and creation of new businesses, it was good for a belly-laugh.

It’s easy to dismiss the “Occupy” movement as mainly an activity for the homeless and a bunch of anarchists. The movement prides itself on having no formal leadership, no structure and rarely has been able to articulate any aims.

Political landmarks that can properly be labeled “Nixon-to-China” moments are rare, usually occurring only once in a career, if ever.

For the first time since voters okayed more than $9 billion worth of bonds to pay for a high speed rail system linking all of California’s major metropolitan areas, it appears the commission charged with building that system is getting realistic.

As they debate at long distance while barnstorming the country to raise both money and their own prospects in next year’s election, no disagreement between President Obama and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is sharper than their dispute over the status of the Mexican border.

From the moment election results were finalized in Oakland last fall, there was whining from the losers. There’s no other word for it.

For a misleading moment early this fall, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein – for 20 years one of California’s most formidable political figures – looked extremely vulnerable in next year’s election.

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, when California solidified its position as America’s most populous state, it was common for demographers and trackers of trends to say that “When California catches cold, the rest of the nation sneezes.” They meant that California was the unquestioned national trend-setter.

Some call it musical chairs, the way every couple of years termed-out state legislators either run for a different office or manage to get themselves appointed to some other position where they can keep their snouts in the public trough.

There was plenty of publicity when California lawmakers debated for months over the state budget, yet the outcome – many cuts, almost no revenue increases – was a foregone conclusion once it became obvious tax receipts were running below projections and Republicans never would vote for new tax levies.