‘Kaustrodamus’: The L.A. journo who saw Cantor’s demise coming

Mickey Kaus is a very smart L.A. pundit whose Kaufiles was one of the original news blogs that mattered. He now writes mainly for the Daily Caller. In 1992, he wrote “The End of Equality,” a powerful book-length analysis of

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Post-Vergara: Civil war possible among CA Dems

The Vergara storm is coming, and I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be gigantic. The ruling’s potential impact on California public education — and public education nationally — could be immense. Even if it doesn’t stand, it will

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Vergara ruling: Silicon Valley titan KOs teachers unions

In 16 pages, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu dealt California’s teachers unions an unprecedented defeat. Using unsparing, uncompromising language, Judge Treu ruled that job protections passed at these unions’ behest violated the state Constitution by denying equal educational opportunity

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CA innovators lead on tech surveillance

Some of California’s lesser-known players in tech have seized the initiative in shaping the nation’s surveillance culture. Many Americans are familiar with the Taser, a nonlethal device used by law enforcement to shock and immobilize. Fewer are aware that the Taser

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CA may take lead in codifying what is legally acceptable sex

The Nanny State impulse, when its most ardent proponents gain power, is a scary thing to witness. This is from the L.A. Daily News: “LONG BEACH — A bill on its way to the state Assembly mandates that California’s public

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Rail board chair Dan Richard responds to critical post

Dan Richard, the chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, sent this to Cal Watchdog in response to my Monday morning post: “In his campaign to stop California from building the nation’s first high-speed rail system, Chris Reed (calwatchdog.com, June 9, 2014)

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CA air board may invalidate 1.3 million pollution-offset credits

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s repeated punishment of an Arkansas waste disposal firm has led the California Air Resources Board to consider invalidating 1.3 million environmental offset credits bought from the Arkansas company by California firms to offset the effects

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Are we headed for a recount in the controller’s race?

To say that California’s race for controller is too close to call is an understatement. As of Monday morning, two Democratic candidates were locked in a statistical tie for the second spot in the November run-off, with another candidate very

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State’s Bay Bridge follies will have bullet train encore

When the first stories came out about the problems with the $6.5 billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project, there was a faintly surprised tone to some of the coverage. They can’t get stuff like welds right? Really? But I

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Light-rail love affair: CA pols, media stuck in 1980s

Californians with a green streak are in love with mass transit — at least when it involves rail. Buses are far better at helping people, especially poor people, to and from work. But there’s something about rail and how it

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