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Gov. Brown’s pension plan gets mixed reviews from reformers
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature mostly have avoided tackling the state’s unfunded pension liabilities, even though these taxpayer-backed debts to pay for pension promises to state and local employees have soared by 22 percent in the last
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Olympics appear L.A.-bound – but in 2024 or 2028?
After a recent International Olympic Committee fact-finding investigation went well, Los Angeles officials are extremely confident that California’s largest city will host a Summer Olympics for a third time after previous turns in 1932 and 1984. They just don’t know
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Secure Choice retirement program up against powerful federal law
An unprecedented state law meant to create 401(k)-style retirement accounts for millions of private-sector workers in California now faces a daunting obstacle to ever being implemented: one of the most powerful federal laws on the books. Under the state law
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Report: Single-payer health care in California would cost double state budget
SACRAMENTO – During the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento last weekend, the spiciest news was outgoing chairman John Burton dropping an f-bomb on a group of activists demanding that the party embrace a single-payer health system. It’s not really
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Wells Fargo’s huge scandal defies tidy resolution
San Francisco-based banking giant Wells Fargo continues to struggle to get past the worst scandal in its history. The company – which has a market value of $265 billion and nearly 270,000 employees in all 50 states – was fined $185 million
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Gas tax recall effort for Josh Newman grows
Perceived as the most vulnerable of the legislative Democrats who passed Gov. Jerry Brown’s gas and vehicle tax package by a razor-thin margin, freshman state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, faced an intensifying campaign to turn him out of office, potentially
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San Francisco sues Uber in battle over driver privacy
SACRAMENTO – The city of San Francisco filed suit last week against the ride-sharing service Uber after the company filed a motion in court to block the release of a drivers’ personal information. This sets up the latest battle between
Read MoreWill Democrats in Legislature pressure Gov. Brown to increase state spending?
Will progressive lawmakers challenge Gov. Jerry Brown over his decision to dash their big dreams for the 2017-18 fiscal year? Or will they acquiesce as they mostly have in recent months of May after Brown released revised budgets without money for
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Push begins to overturn new California gas tax
A fresh effort has been launched to reverse Gov. Jerry Brown’s fuel and vehicle tax deal, passed narrowly in Sacramento on the strength of a series of sharply criticized side deals. “Only one Republican – state Sen. Anthony Cannella – voted in favor
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Paid to protest the president? Bay Area employees get days off for civic engagement
While many conservative claims about paid protesters demonstrating against President Trump have been met with skepticism and dismissal — in the Bay Area — some of them might actually be getting money for being there. Companies in the region are
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