Bill banning forced arbitration on Gov. Brown’s desk

A bill that the California Chamber of Commerce warns will drive up litigation costs for California businesses is on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. For disputes involving civil rights, currently businesses can provide contracts for customers in which civil-rights disputes are settled

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Minimum wage kills minimum-wage jobs

As I noted six weeks ago, I’ve been noticing higher restaurant prices since California boosted its minimum wage on July 1, to $9 from $8 an hour; with a $10 increase coming in 2016. A new study by the Heritage

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Does drought pricing violate state law?

This is Part 1 of a series. Calls now are going out to raise water prices even higher to spur conservation. Instead of fining people for watering their lawns, numerous economists are recommending just tacking a punitive surcharge onto water rates until use

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Public Utilities Commission crashes into Uber, Lyft

This week was supposed to be a Kumbaya moment for state legislators and ridesharing services. On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law compromise legislation allowing the firms to continue to flourish, while requiring them to increase their insurance coverage. But just before

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Separatism loses in SCT, CA

Coming shortly after entrepreneur Tim Draper’s Six Californias initiative failed to qualify for the 2016 ballot, Scotland’s voters decided not to secede from the United Kingdom — yet. So it would seem separatist movements are not doing well. But pushing

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Arnold meets his match in India

Arnold Schwarzenegger has met his match in South India. On Monday, just a few days after the controversial unveiling of his official gubernatorial portrait in Sacramento, the former California governor traveled halfway around the world to Chennai, India. During Arnold’s

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Garcetti shows why minimum wage kills jobs

In backing a higher minimum wage for his city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti inadvertently explained how it would kill jobs. From the Times: “Garcetti pitched his plan to gradually boost the minimum wage across the city, critics argued that

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Guerrilla marketing fuels OC mystery campaign

Less than seven weeks from Election Day, political campaigns are looking for novel ways to distinguish themselves from all the election-related noise. In Orange County, one creative independent expenditure has turned to a mysterious guerrilla marketing campaign to get its

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In debate, Torlakson misrepresents teacher-discipline bill

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson debated challenger Marshall Tuck on Wednesday night and once again found himself on the defensive over the teacher tenure laws targeted in the Vergara decision. Cabinet Report details how Tuck went after …

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