November 2015 | Page 3 of 6

Archive

Key divides vex CA Democrats

As the dominant political party of California, Democrats have begun to fall victim to one of the more humbling rules of power: When your team has few tough battles to fight, it often turns on itself. From politics to economics and

Solar plant nearly forced to buy carbon emission rights

Chris Reed November 18, 2015

The giant $2.2 billion Ivanpah solar plant off Interstate 15 just west of the California-Nevada border has apparently won its fight with state regulators and won’t be classified as a heavy polluter that is required to buy carbon-emissions rights in

CA Controller predicts Prop. 30 extension will be passed

Joel Fox November 17, 2015

At last Friday’s California Economic Summit sponsored by California Forward and the California Stewardship Network, state Controller Betty Yee predicted that a Proposition 30 extension and a cigarette tax will be on the 2016 ballot and both would pass. It was a prediction

Judiciary establishment shuns cost-cutting as alleged overspending continues

Steve Miller November 17, 2015

The state’s Judicial Council plans to shutter one of its satellite offices in 2017 but refuses to heed other cost-cutting measures urged by an audit released earlier this year that found the agency’s “questionable” spending has cut court funds. The

Coal and California: State not as green as it may seem

Chris Reed November 17, 2015

California regularly wins national acclaim for AB32 and other state laws pushing the Golden State toward the use of cleaner renewable power. A recent New York Times editorial page blog post was typical. But on niche websites devoted to energy

Cal Chamber scorecard

Joel Fox November 16, 2015

The California Chamber of Commerce released its tally of legislators’ floor votes on 15 bills that the chamber determined were crucial to the business community. Checking the scorecard, a telltale story from the chamber’s perspective is not who was for

Officials silent on whistleblower’s allegations of “false statements” in union, farm dispute

J Michael Waller, American Media Institute November 16, 2015

The California agency in charge of defending farmworkers has declined to comment on a whistleblower’s allegation of insider wrongdoing, citing an ongoing internal investigation. The whistleblower alleged earlier this year that the agency’s office of General Counsel made misleading and

Student debt makes CA waves

James Poulos November 15, 2015

While California students mustered to lead a nationwide movement for college debt relief, policymakers and innovators grappled with the issue in ways of their own. Students in the UC system — particularly the Berkeley campus — have taken a central role in

PUC faces harsh hangovers from Peevey era

Chris Reed November 14, 2015

The California Public Utilities Commission may have hoped that the harsh headlines from PUC President Michael Peevey’s final year on the job would begin to fade after he left the position in December 2014. Instead, the state utilities regulator appears

SeaWorld to drop San Diego orca shows

James Poulos November 13, 2015

Scrambling to salvage its business amid a wave of negative publicity, SeaWorld has scrapped its traditional orca shows, banking on shaky hopes that the move is enough to turn the tide of criticism. Trying for a reboot “In 2017 we will launch