April 2015 | CalWatchdog.com

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Occupy-style rhetoric used to frame CA drought

Gov. Jerry Brown’s announcement of mandatory water cutbacks led to news coverage of the disparities in water usage between very rich neighborhoods and everywhere else. In San Diego, this instantly prompted angry comments on social media about Rancho Santa Fe,

CA may use Prop. 1 water bond to buy enviro water during drought

Wayne Lusvardi April 30, 2015

In the midst of a grueling four-year drought in agriculture, state officials say some $287.5 million in borrowed cash is available to purchase water for smelt and salmon runs and other wildlife. The funds come from California’s $7.5 billion Proposition

Brown orders new emissions cuts

James Poulos April 29, 2015

At a high-powered leadership gathering in Los Angeles, Gov. Jerry Brown detailed plans, laid out in a new executive order, aimed at slashing California’s carbon emissions to new lows. The 18th annual Milken Institute Global Conference gave Brown an intellectual

Venice Beach proposal roils topless debate

James Poulos April 29, 2015

Inspired by a recent resurgence in partial nudity as a women’s rights issue, the Venice Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles recommended that topless sunbathing be permitted. In decades past, fully nude beachgoing had been tolerated. In a 12-2 vote, the VNC

Legislator warns against lawsuit abuse

Dave Roberts April 29, 2015

When California’s Republican legislators warn that high taxes, onerous regulations and frivolous lawsuits are driving businesses out of California, they are not only talking about corporations like Toyota, which is relocating from Torrance to Plano, Texas. They are also concerned

VIDEO: Republicans can be environmentalists, too

CalWatchdog Staff April 29, 2015

In a conversation with CalWatchdog.com Editor Brian Calle, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer discusses the importance of preserving the environment and why it should not be a partisan issue. During the interview, Mayor Faulconer highlights the environment as our quality

Lawmakers dismiss efforts to protect property rights from high-speed rail

John April 28, 2015

State lawmakers are forcing property owners “all aboard” the state’s high-speed rail project – whether they like it or not. This month, two state legislative panels blocked efforts by Central Valley Republican lawmakers to guarantee the property rights of those

CA GOP aims for demographic rebound

James Poulos April 28, 2015

Convinced that expanding voter appeal is a make-or-break proposition, leading California Republicans have begun to pivot toward a broad-based demographic strategy meant to rebuild from the ground up. In recent weeks, both the state party and the GOP’s minority caucus in Sacramento

VIDEO: How Republicans can maintain relevance in California

CalWatchdog Staff April 28, 2015

In a conversation with CalWatchdog.com Editor Brian Calle, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer tells us why Republicans aren’t an endangered species in California. Mayor Faulconer, arguably one of the highest ranking elected officials in California, outlines his take on the

Minimum wage debate playing out in Los Angeles theaters

Joel Fox April 27, 2015

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote William Shakespeare, and political theater on the hot topic of the minimum wage is playing out in smaller Los Angeles theaters. We’re not talking about minimum wage as the topic of a play,