Nothing is what it seems in CA politics

Aug. 24, 2012 Katy Grimes: Be sure to always watch both hands of California lawmakers, because as the right hand is patting your back, the left is picking your pocket. Earlier this morning I wrote that lawmakers in the state Senate

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God-like legislators fail to pass enviro reforms

Aug. 24, 2012 By Katy Grimes Despite promises to pass desperately needed reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act, lawmakers in the state Senate killed the CEQA reform bill co-authored by Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Thousand Oaks. “The CEQA reform effort

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Taxing 60 years ahead for jobs now

Aug. 23, 2012 By Katy Grimes When the government tries to create jobs, taxpayers beware. Government-created jobs are always more expensive, paid for with special taxes and bonds, and often for projects that are unnecessary, overblown, and could have been

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Legislators pass bill to regulate BB guns

Aug. 22, 2012 By Katy Grimes “They’ll have to pry my BB gun from my cold, dead arms,” one commenter wrote on the legislative web page for AB 2333. The bill, by Assemblyman Jose Solorio, D-Anaheim, will require parents to

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Rare court victory for home builders

Aug. 22, 2012 By Joseph Perkins It has taken the better part of two decades, but the California Supreme Court has finally reined in so-called “construction defect” lawsuits, the threat of which has had a damping effect on development of

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Attack on corporations fails in Assembly

Aug. 22, 2012 By Katy Grimes It’s rare that a bad bill fails to pass one or the other houses in the California Legislature. However, Tuesday a bill failed which would have required private sector, publicly traded corporations to file

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Why isn’t California a tax haven?

Aug. 22, 2012 By John Seiler The Obama campaign is running an ad attacking tax havens, including  Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and Ireland, for taking Mitt Romney’s money. Although I’m not a Romney fan, I don’t care where he puts

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New Wells Fargo report bullish on state economy

Aug. 22, 2012 By Joseph Perkins A new report by Wells Fargo Securities Economics Group declares that “California’s economic recovery has gained considerable momentum over the past year.” It cites the decline in the state’s jobless rate, increase in sales

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State muscles grocers over plastic bags

Aug. 21, 2012 Katy Grimes: The plastic bag activists are at it again, and they are nothing, if not persistent. With the eleventh bill regulating plastic bags in less than 10 years, grocery stores don’t have a chance in California. Passed

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Mother’s Market promotes Prop. 37 GMO labeling

Aug. 21, 2012 By John Seiler When shopping yesterday at the Huntington Beach health-food store Mother’s Market, which I’ve patronized for 25 years, they promoted this flyer from the store: “LET’S MAKE HISTORY!” it says, by passing Proposition 37, the

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