June 2015 | Page 8 of 9 | CalWatchdog.com

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In San Fernando rail showdown, echoes of Chavez Ravine

In the San Fernando Valley, there’s been intense opposition for years among its 1.7 million residents to having the state’s bullet train project cut through middle-class and poor neighborhoods and equestrian areas. Civic leaders, activists and property owners view the

CA pension plans prompting tough tradeoffs

James Poulos June 4, 2015

Despite a sounder economic footing, California’s pensions problem has deepened. That was the conclusion drawn by analysts who warned that new accounting rules would shine a startling spotlight on practices long kept in the shadows. “The Governmental Accounting Standards Board is implementing new

Financial transparency bill clears CA Assembly

Josephine Djuhana June 4, 2015

Legislation to increase requirements for financial disclosures for government officials passed the state Assembly on Tuesday in a unanimous 66-0 vote. Assembly Bill 10, authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, modernizes the Form 500 disclosure document in five ways: “Clarify

Bill to increase CA minimum wage passes Senate

Josephine Djuhana June 3, 2015

On Tuesday, a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage was approved by the state Senate. Senate Bill 3, jointly authored by state Senator Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Senator Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, would raise the minimum wage to $11 per

Lawmakers work with industry to improve ride-sharing

John June 3, 2015

State lawmakers have shelved a plan to adopt new regulations on the state’s burgeoning ride-sharing industry in favor of industry-backed measures that make it easier for customers to safely share a ride. Last Thursday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee held in

SCOTUS could shake CA’s redistricting schemes

James Poulos June 3, 2015

A pair of high-profile cases taken up by the Supreme Court could invalidate California’s redistricting system, scrapping citizen-led efforts to free it up from partisan wrangling. A tale of two controversies “The fate of the citizen redistricting commission hangs most directly in the

Covered CA struggles to meet expectations

James Poulos June 2, 2015

“This issue of making health care affordable is not easy.” It probably wasn’t what Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, hoped to announce in the exchange’s second year. But the remarks came on the heels of a new survey

Assembly passes grocery employment mandate

Dave Roberts June 2, 2015

If you purchase a grocery store that is going out of business because its employees have not provided good customer service and sanitary conditions, should you be required to hire those same employees? The answer is yes, according to Assembly

Is another bold CA energy strategy flopping?

Chris Reed June 1, 2015

In December 2000, Californians suffered a rare ordeal: rolling blackouts in a cool month instead of the blackouts seen intermittently in summer because of heavy air conditioning use overtaxing the state’s energy grid. The Golden State’s struggle to keep the

Uneven CA water cuts prompt public outcry

James Poulos June 1, 2015

A cascade of new water regulations has brought the drought home to millions of residents across California, cutting into their indoor and outdoor use and, often, prompting an outcry. But the impact of the regulations, handed down at different levels of government,