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L.A. proposal: That’s a pension tax — not a pothole tax
This proposal — allegedly from Los Angeles bureaucrats but almost certainly from new L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti — got the scorn it deserved on libertarian and conservative websites when it came out Wednesday afternoon: “L.A.’s elected officials should put a half-cent
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High-speed rail brief includes Quentin Kopp objections
It might take more than a cow catcher to push Quentin Kopp from standing in the middle of the track trying to stop California’s high-speed rail project. A former head of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which oversees the
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San Jose Mayor Reed folds on pension initiative
In a disappointing indicator of the challenges facing public pension reform, outgoing San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has shelved his statewide ballot initiative designed to address the problem. The mayor blames a time crunch and unappealing language used in Attorney
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CA GOP convention reached ‘whole new level’ of inclusiveness
At last weekend’s spring convention in Burlingame, California Republicans promised an effort to “Rebuild, Renew, Reclaim.” “We’re pushing the party outside of its comfort zone,” California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte said in advance of the convention. “And we’re already
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Will failed Prop. 209 rollback help GOP with Asian voters? It depends
With Asian-Americans making up 14 percent of the state’s electorate, there is a small but real chance that this past month’s developments in the Legislature could prove the biggest story in California politics in years. I refer to Asian Democratic
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When America was fun for kids
“America is too safe” is one of my sayings. It’s just hard to have fun anymore, especially for kids. When I was growing up in the 60s, on weekends and during summer vacation, our parents dumped us outside and expected
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Climate change prof wants to put me in jail
As I’ve said before, I’ll believe in global warming — now going under the euphemism “climate change” — when ex-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary of State John Kerry give up their lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous. That mean
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CA advances transparency — but needs some work
This is Sunshine Week, a time to promote transparency in government. An AP analysis found that the Obama administration, which came into office promising to be the most transparent ever, has become more secretive. Fortunately, things are better out here
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What groundwater regulation will bring
This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Part 1 is here, and described California’s new green groundwater regulatory scheme. For the first time, California is not only going to manage groundwater basins, but conduct surveillance and policing of groundwater withdrawals.
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Malkenhorst epitome of government service
Bruce Malkenhorst and his $551,000-a-year public pension are back in the news. The Orange County Register reports: A stunning once-secret investigation into the escapades of former Vernon exec Bruce Malkenhorst… alleges that Malkenhorst stealthily and systematically bled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the peculiar
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