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Back to homepageTaxpayer-funded union programs: Scams and scandals
In a state with normal standards of honesty and transparency, the idea that millions of dollars in public funds could be used without any scrutiny for many years at a time would seem goofy. But that's in a normal government.
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Fullerton police chief doesn’t think verdict vindicated lethal cop
In the aftermath of the Kelly Thomas verdict, it’s been depressing to read the comment sections of Cal Watchdog, blogs, news sites and newspapers. A lot of oddly gleeful folks treat the verdict as evidence that police did the right
Read MoreSenate Ed committee balances school needs, parents, unions and worms
At a meeting of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, a dirty little secret about the Capitol came out. There are apparently worms in the drinking fountains. SB 687 was on the agenda in the education committee. The bill would
Read MoreDemocratic lawmakers again kill work flex bill
In what has become an annual tradition in Sacramento, Democratic legislators have killed a bill to provide more flexibility in the hours that employees work. “Assembly Bill 907 would have allowed Californians to work more than eight hours in a
Read MoreCTA wins: Brown lobbies to weaken own school-funding reform
Gov. Jerry Brown made a surprise appearance Thursday at a State Board of Education meeting to call for board members — most of whom he appointed — to approve loophole-ridden regulations for the implementation of the sweeping education funding changes
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Governor’s race: Maldonado drops out
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado ended his campaign for governor of California on Thursday morning, leaving a conservative state legislator as the only Republican candidate in the race. Maldonado, the state’s most prominent Latino Republican, made the announcement where his
Read MoreBill would strengthen public's right to comment before votes
“The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them,” says California Code Section 54950 of The Ralph M. Brown Act, the state's bedrock open-government law. cure for diabetes But that’s not always the
Read MorePRI report examines bankruptcy as tool for struggling cities
The Pacific Research Institute has released a report that couldn't be more timely. “Going Broke One City at a Time: Municipal Bankruptcies in America” by economist Wayne H. Winegarden. buy a paper One of Winegarden's key conclusions: “If used appropriately, bankruptcy
Read MorePush to increase CA green power mandate flops
On Jan. 6, a key provision was quietly struck from Assembly Bill 177, a measure introduced by Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez, D-Coachella, that would have expanded the green-power mandate for California utilites from 33 percent to 51 percent by the
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San Diego's pension reform model finally inspires copy-cats
In early 2012, when then-San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio was pushing an innovative, unusual, unprecedented pension reform initiative in California's second-largest city, I wrote about it for City Journal. I thought it was a harbinger of what the future would
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