Josephine Djuhana, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Josephine Djuhana

Josephine Djuhana

ADA reform bill advances

Businesses will gain new incentives to comply under the American Disabilities Act, thanks to a bill authored by state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside. SB251 would reform compliance rules with the ADA, by extending requirements for attorneys to report ADA-related violations,

Judge rules CA Water Board violated due process in water rights case

Josephine Djuhana July 13, 2015

On Friday, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne W. L. Chang ruled against the California State Water Resources Control Board, saying the board violated due process in curtailing water rights to a San Joaquin water district. According to the Stockton

Electricity tier changes, rate hikes bring higher energy costs

Josephine Djuhana July 12, 2015

With a recently approved proposal to hike electricity rates throughout the state and a new proposal from a local board to increase water and power rates, Californians are about to see a spike in energy costs. CPUC changes tier system,

Bill to restrict e-cigarette use dies in committee

Josephine Djuhana July 8, 2015

On Wednesday, legislation that would classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products was amended and held in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. Senate Bill 140 author Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, dropped his support for the bill after committee amendments struck out portions of

CA fiscal health ranks 44th in country

Josephine Djuhana July 8, 2015

In fiscal year 2013-14, California saw a slight uptick in the condition of its fiscal health, based on fiscal solvency metrics as reported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. California placed 44th among U.S. states for fiscal health,

Right-to-work states see union membership, revenues drop

Josephine Djuhana July 7, 2015

With Friedrichs v. CTA pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, stakeholders and spectators alike are curious to see not only the outcome of the court case, but also the greater implications tied to union membership and influence in legislative bodies

Bill establishes new subsidy for biomass power plants

Josephine Djuhana July 5, 2015

Legislators seek to establish a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which would be funded by the cap and trade program adopted by the California Air Resources Board under AB32, and appropriate those dollars to the California Energy Commission to subsidize biomass

House legislation targets environmental laws

Josephine Djuhana July 2, 2015

Last week, House Republicans introduced legislation to revise water policies in California and the rest of the West Coast, improving water reliability and making environmental laws more flexible. H.R. 2898, authored by California Congressman David Valadao, is backed by the

Smartphone kill-switch mandate takes effect

Josephine Djuhana July 2, 2015

On Wednesday, legislation requiring kill-switch technology for all smartphones sold in California took effect. Senate Bill 962 requires companies to embed specific kill switches in smartphones at the point of sale; the bill was passed by the Legislature and approved

SCOTUS decision rolls back EPA authority

Josephine Djuhana June 30, 2015

On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down the Environmental Protection Agency’s restriction of power plants’ emissions of mercury and other air pollutants in a 5-4 vote. The premise of Michigan v. EPA was whether the agency could refuse to consider