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Back to homepageCA soon could have highest U.S. unemployment rate
Jan. 24, 2013 California’s unemployment rate stayed the same in December, at 9.8 percent, the third highest. But what’s curious is that the unemployment rates of No. 1 and No. 2, Nevada and Rhodes Island at 10.2 percent each, are
Read More‘New’ Delta plan rehashes old plans from 1950s and 70s
Jan. 24, 2013 by Wayne Lusvardi Just as Hollywood often remakes old movies, water engineers apparently rehash old forgotten plans to refashion the Sacramento Delta. And then the proponents call these plans “new” and “cheaper” alternatives. Water engineer Robert Pyke
Read MoreState government will have to start subsidizing Amtrak soon
Jan. 24, 2013 By Chris Reed Congress and most presidents have long been ridiculously tolerant of Amtrak and its never-ending need for federal aid — the equivalent of massive ongoing annual bailouts. But five years ago, lawmakers actually got a
Read MoreSacramento arena deal; still beating a dead horse
Jan. 22, 2013 By Katy Grimes “Sacramento deserves its shot to keep the Kings,” the Sacramento Bee editorial headline said this morning. “Deserves.” I really don’t like how that word is so carelessly tossed around. What Sacramento deserves is a
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What most politicians really are
Jan. 23, 2013 By John Seiler Most politicians think they’re hot stuff. They have aides toadying to them 24/7. This is as true of a U.S. Senator as of a city council member. But let Col. Kurtz tell a politician
Read MoreNon-representation should mean non-taxes
Jan. 22, 2013 By John Seiler The American Revolution was about “taxation without representation.” The colonists weren’t represented in the British Parliament when their taxes were raised. So they revolted and ended the taxes. Now this: “SACRAMENTO — Many state
Read MoreOn fracking, will Govs. Brown and Cuomo heed Ed Rendell?
Jan. 21, 2013 By Chris Reed With the op-ed in last week’s Wall Street Journal about California’s enormous potential for a fracking-driven energy boom, it’s beginning to look like how Gov. Jerry Brown deals with the issue will be a
Read MoreBeing CalPERS means never having to say you’re sorry
Jan. 20, 2013 By Chris Reed So CalPERS is found to allow ridiculous, outrageous double-dipping by salaried employees that boosts their pay (and probably their pensions), and faces sharp criticism. So when the giant pension fund responds, does it do
Read MoreAB 32 has predicted effect on state manufacturing jobs
Jan. 19, 2013 By Chris Reed Trying to preserve and help create manufacturing jobs should be a primary goal of a party that bills itself as being about social justice. Manufacturing jobs often offer middle-class wages, but don’t require college
Read MoreOnly Silicon Valley scores high on Milken top cities list
Jan. 18, 2013 By John Seiler Silicon Valley scored the top spot on the Milken Institute’s “Best-Performing Cites 2012″ list, which looked at 200 metro areas. That’s a great accomplishment. But what about the rest of California? You have to drop
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