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CalWatchdog Staff
‘World-class’ Sacramento deal dead
April 15, 2012 By Katy Grimes Ding, dong, the arena deal is dead. The free market won. Despite the failure of 13 years of efforts to build a publicly funded new sports arena in Sacramento, the-arena project-which-wouldn’t-die may have finally croaked–thanks to Mayor
Read MoreJohn Shirey: Master of Disaster
Steven Greenhut: As head of the California Redevelopment Association, John Shirey helped lead many local cities into a deep fiscal pit based on the redevelopment borrow-and-spend policies that promised great windfalls from these crony capitalist deals. Shirey was smart when
Read MoreTodd Spitzer on the Road to Damascus
April 14, 2012 By Steven Greenhut If a politician has based his career on advocating a set of policies, and has always been aligned with a group of special interests, only a fool would believe that he has suddenly seen
Read MoreBay Area rebellion attacks housing mandate
April 13, 2012 By Dave Roberts “The Mouse that Roared,” a 1950s satirical novel and movie about a tiny European country that declares war on the United States, has come to life in the Bay Area. Corte Madera, a town
Read MoreWhy pensions are going broke
April 13, 2012 By John Seiler Why are government pensions going broke? Wayne Lusvardi wrote about recently it in one of our Special Series on municipal bankruptcy, “California counties are more at risk of going belly up.” In one sentence,
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Rail system in LA already a low-speed fail (video)
April 13, 2012 By Brian Calle One might assume policy makers would first assess the value, usage and efficiency of existing public transportation before endeavoring on a new multi-billion dollar, taxpayer funded transportation boondoggle like high-speed rail. For instance, LA’s
Read MoreSupreme Court gives a break to employers and workers
April 13, 2012 By Katy Grimes California employers have been regulated and mandated to the point of ridiculousness — and unprofitability. But a California Supreme Court decision this week finally gives employers a break—while still giving employees a break. Resolving
Read MoreUSC Poll: Voters want unneeded tax
April 13, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi An opinion poll might tell you if a majority of the public wants higher taxes. But it cannot tell you if higher taxes are needed. Nevertheless, the mainstream media only want to report what
Read MoreFletcher: Unprincipled and Unconvincing
Steven Greenhut: A new poll shows that Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has surged in his race to become San Diego’s next mayor after he dropped his Republican affiliation and became an independent, which just shows how little attention San Diego voters
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