October 2014 | Page 6 of 10

Archive

CA Supreme Court ‘all aboard’ for high-speed rail

All aboooooard! In what probably is the last train stop of opposition to California’s high-speed rail project, today the California Supreme Court refused to hear a case that could have stopped it. The case, by Kings County and two local landowners

Covered CA dissects Prop. 45, doesn’t oppose it

Dave Roberts October 15, 2014

Officials at the Covered California insurance exchange, the state’s implementation of Obamacare, worry passage of Prop. 45 could damage its operations, potentially affecting insurance coverage for millions of Californians. But the board has chosen not to notify California voters of

LAUSD does not compute

John Seiler October 15, 2014

What’s it with governments and computers? The latest cyber-snafu strikes the LAUSD, reported the Times: “the Los Angeles Unified School District’s student information system, which has cost more than $130 million, has become a technological disaster. The system made its

Tiered pricing ends up subsidizing solar panels for the rich

Wayne Lusvardi October 15, 2014

In a new development for energy conservation, it turns out charging more for electricity, the more juice is used, could be bad for the environment. This “tiered pricing” is also called Increasing Block Pricing. IBP is pushing some homeowners into

Dems make Peters-DeMaio race a referendum on Tea Party

Chris Reed October 15, 2014

The nationally watched race for a swing seat between Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio is currently in a roiled state because of lewd allegations made against DeMaio by a former staffer whom DeMaio

Minimum wage truth and consequences: Who’s listening?

Joel Fox October 14, 2014

Let’s hope voters become more engaged than some elected officials in the minimum-wage debate. Voters will be subjected to counterarguments in the minimum-wage debate. Raising the minimum wage undoubtedly will make things better for some minimum-wage workers – more

Voters face pension-reform decisions

James Poulos October 14, 2014

In a series of contests playing out at the state and local levels, Golden State voters will cast votes this November that could reshape the pension landscape for years to come. Races have attracted attention for offices that exercise direct influence over the institutions

New Laffer book details Reagan prosperity recipe

John Seiler October 14, 2014

If you have a great recipe, keep using it. Don’t be chicken. Just ask Col. Sanders. Why then don’t Republican candidates just follow Ronald Reagan’s successful economic recipe from the 1980s? Cut taxes; in his case, from the top income

Covered CA blames cronyism on Obamacare scramble

James Poulos October 13, 2014

In an embarrassing new black eye for Covered California, the state’s implementation of Obamacare, the health exchange, has admitted it violated accepted practice by awarding $184 million in so-called “no-bid” contracts, according to a new report by the Associated Press.

Lack of mental health accounting ‘sheer craziness’

Dave Roberts October 13, 2014

In 2004 California voters passed Proposition 63, based on the promise it would tax the rich to help the state’s mentally ill population. But 10 years later, while it’s been successful in taking about $10 billion from top earners,