Chris Reed, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Chris Reed

Chris Reed

Chris Reed is a regular contributor to Cal Watchdog. Reed is an editorial writer for U-T San Diego. Before joining the U-T in July 2005, he was the opinion-page columns editor and wrote the featured weekly Unspin column for The Orange County Register. Reed was on the national board of the Association of Opinion Page Editors from 2003-2005. From 2000 to 2005, Reed made more than 100 appearances as a featured news analyst on Los Angeles-area National Public Radio affiliate KPCC-FM. From 1990 to 1998, Reed was an editor, metro columnist and film critic at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario. Reed has a political science degree from the University of Hawaii (Hilo campus), where he edited the student newspaper, the Vulcan News, his senior year. He is on Twitter: @chrisreed99.

San Diego stadium plan: Ingenious? Fair? A ripoff?

The San Diego stadium task force’s proposal to finance a $1.15 billion stadium project to keep the Chargers from fleeing to Los Angeles has been subject to close looks for more than a week now. There’s no consensus at all about

Congress still divided on how to address CA drought

Chris Reed May 21, 2015

California’s leaders have faced sharp criticism over their perceived failure to prepare the state for the current severe drought. But if criticism of the state government is warranted, Congress may deserve some blame as well. House members from the Central

In Long Beach, taxis to copy the Uber approach

Chris Reed May 20, 2015

The arrival of Uber and Lyft has had a radical effect on surface transportation and seems likely to lead to a big downsizing of the taxi industry in California. In city after city, taxi lobbyists have fought to shut down

Brown adds $2 billion to program that worries LAO

Chris Reed May 19, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised 2015-16 state budget boosts from $4 billion to $6.1 billion the funding being given to the Local Control Funding Formula for public schools. That’s the program established by Brown via a 2013 state law to specifically

School districts seek help with pension bailout costs

Chris Reed May 17, 2015

The bailout of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System enacted last year requires a 70 percent increase in pension contributions from school districts, a 20 percent increase from the state general fund and a 10 percent increase in teacher contributions.

Budget reflects truce in Brown-Napolitano fight over UC

Chris Reed May 16, 2015

For eight months, the most high-profile political fight in Sacramento has been between Gov. Jerry Brown and University of California President Janet Napolitano, triggered by Napolitano’s attempts to pressure Brown and the Legislature to increase funding for the UC system.

Poor in CA whipsawed by disorganized health agencies

Chris Reed May 14, 2015

Poor people in California — starting with individuals who make less than $16,200 — are eligible for subsidized health care from Medi-Cal. About 12 million people are enrolled in the state program. Individuals who make from $16,200 to about $60,000

Study: CA hospitals waste money by ignoring ‘big data’

Chris Reed May 12, 2015

The “Moneyball” phenomenon of using advanced statistical analysis to gain advantage in professional sports has picked up steam over the past dozen years, to the point where it has broadly depressed scoring in baseball, as fielders are positioned precisely based

CA inequality much worse for Latinos than blacks

Chris Reed May 11, 2015

A new study of the state workforce by UC Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education shows income inequality rose steadily under both Democratic and GOP governors from 1979 to 2014. That’s not a surprise, given that income inequality’s rise

Conflict of interest for CTA rep on state board?

Chris Reed May 10, 2015

The California Public Utilities Commission has faced months of headlines over conflict-of-interest scandals involving former longtime PUC President Michael Peevey, who on several occasions sought favors from the utilities he regulated while interceding on their behalf out of the public’s