CalWatchdog Morning Read – January 16

• Issa leading bipartisan push for high-skilled visa overhaul
• Bullet train costs skyrocketing
• The battle lines in CA vs. Trump
• Education spending may rise as districts cut
• A new union dues case coming up?

Good morning. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! It’s a holiday, so we’ll keep it short.

With contending pieces of legislation now up for consideration in Congress, California has returned to the national spotlight on one of the most contentious immigration issues — special visas granted by the federal government to attract foreign talent.

Long critiqued by economic nationalists, including some Democrats, the H-1B visa program has been accused of undercutting qualified candidates in key industries who are U.S. citizens.

Leading a bipartisan effort to overhaul the program: Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista.

CalWatchdog has more. 

In other news:

• “California’s bullet train could cost taxpayers 50 percent more than estimated — as much as $3.6 billion more. And that’s just for the first 118 miles through the Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco.” The Los Angeles Times has more. 

• “Education spending rises under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget, but some California schools are bracing for cuts,” reports the Los Angeles Times. 

• California lawmakers are preparing to wage war with the Trump administration, but what exactly is at stake? The San Francisco Chronicle explains. 

• “California union dues case dies, but another rises up,” reports The Sacramento Bee. 

Legislature:

• Back tomorrow.

Gov. Brown:

• No public events announced. 

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