May 2014 | Page 6 of 10 | CalWatchdog.com

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Do Californians want to raise oil taxes?

Are Californians ready for another tax increase? That’s what California hedge-fund manager Tom Steyer sought to find out in his “People’s Poll” on whether voters would support an added oil extraction tax in California. The tax would be 9.9 percent on

CA plastic bag ban would hurt environment

John Seiler May 15, 2014

In this dysfunctional state, it figures the Legislature likely soon could ban plastic bags at stores. AP reports: “Senate Bill 270 passed the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee on a 5-3 vote following the failure of similar bans on single-use grocery bags

CA 2014 fire season: A test of government competence

Chris Reed May 15, 2014

The two worst wildfires in recorded state history struck San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, as I wrote about in today’s U-T San Diego. “In October 2003, the Cedar Fire … broke out in the Cleveland National Forest, started accidentally by

Will Huy Fong end up in Texas?

Tori Richards May 14, 2014

When David Tran fled Vietnam in 1978, he left his possessions behind and boarded the dilapidated freighter Huey Fong bound for Hong Kong. His fare was approximately $11,500 in today’s dollars, money that was split between the Vietnamese government

CA joins national gun standoff

James Poulos May 14, 2014

It’s a gun standoff like in a Quentin Tarantino movie — barrels pointed but nothing resolved for now. That’s why gun law in California and the rest of America won’t be standardized anytime soon. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take

Brown submits May Revise budget

Wayne Lusvardi May 14, 2014

Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown submitted the May Revision of his 2014-15 budget proposal with a mixture of line-item revisions. Most were budges that only moved the budget slightly. The fiscal year begins July 1. Over his January budget proposal, Brown increased the

Brown’s CalSTRS fix hammers districts, protects teachers

Chris Reed May 14, 2014

Contrary to the impression given by some of the current coverage of Sacramento’s attempts to shore up the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the underfunding problem hasn’t been completely ignored for all these years. Here’s what I wrote about the

Will Sen. de Leon also head the Assembly?

John Seiler May 13, 2014

In a strange development, state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, who soon will head the Senate as president pro-tem, also will head the Assembly as speaker. This will be news to Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, who yesterday was

19 CA members of Congress take pensions

John May 13, 2014

Former San Diego city councilman and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, who brought comprehensive pension reform to San Diego, is taking his fight to Capitol Hill. A new report published by the GOP congressional candidate identified 102 members of Congress that

$TX routs CA in education test scores$

TX routs CA in education test scores

Chris Reed May 13, 2014

Every time I write or speak on a radio show favorably about Texas compared with California, I get harsh online comments, emails and phone calls. The usual theme isn’t just that California is a nicer place to live. It’s that