July 2014 | Page 7 of 10 | CalWatchdog.com

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Profiting from stem-cell public-private partnership

While governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger loved to tout “public-private partnerships”; another phrase for which is “crony capitalism.” One such partnership he backed was Proposition 71 back in 2004, which allocated $3 billion to fund stem-cell research. Except that, with interest, the

High-speed rail goes for second segment

Kathy Hamilton July 11, 2014

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is floating a new idea: Start a second high-speed rail segment, but this time fund it using cap-and-trade dollars. The project would stretch from Burbank to Palmdale in the northeast section of the Los Angeles

LeBron James skips CA — again

John Seiler July 11, 2014

LeBron James just signed a contract to go back to Cleveland from Miami. Travis Waldron at ThinkProgress gloats this disproves theories that sports superstars avoid states with income taxes, such as Ohio, for those without, such as Florida — as James

Brown signs defense industry tax break with hidden Tesla perk

John July 11, 2014

Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Thursday a special $420 million corporate tax break for defense contractor Lockheed Martin. If that wasn’t controversial enough, now word has surfaced that the bill also included a hidden perk for electric auto maker Tesla

7 ways James Fallows is wrong about the CA bullet train

Chris Reed July 11, 2014

Writing on The Atlantic’s website, the much-respected journalist/intellectual James Fallows — a Redlands native who knows California better than nearly all other national pundits — has come out as a big fan of the state’s bullet-train project. He promises to

Uber nabs Apple exec

John Seiler July 10, 2014

On July 4 on our site, James Poulos wrote about Uber and other ride-sharing companies’ battles with some existing taxi companies over insurance. Steven Greenhut also wrote about it in the U-T San Diego. However that turns out, Uber almost certainly is

Fresno water rate referendum headed for ballot

John July 10, 2014

Fresno residents will have the final say on the city’s controversial plan to double water rates in the coming years. On Tuesday, election officials certified that the petition drive spearheaded by former Fresno County Supervisor Doug Vagim has enough valid

CA economic ranking renews debate

James Poulos July 10, 2014

For those who put a lot of stock in statistics, it’s a good month for California. The Golden State has returned to take its former position among the world’s largest economies. World Bank calculations show California — if it were considered a country —

Smelt suit threatens water markets

Wayne Lusvardi July 9, 2014

On June 11, 2014, a coalition of sports fishermen and Northern California groundwater users filed a lawsuit to stop a water transfer from Shasta Lake to California’s parched Central Valley. The basis of the suit is to protect the

Arnold still driving Hummer

John Seiler July 9, 2014

Despite its motto, “Advancing Policy, Not Politics” — as if the two could be separated — the USC Schwarzenegger Institute still promotes the former governor’s policies on global warming/climate change. A recent press release reads: Arnold Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on