Posts From Chris Reed
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AG’s low-key Vergara appeal has damage-control vibe
Without fanfare, Attorney General Kamala Harris appealed the Vergara decision throwing out state teacher tenure and job-protection laws late Friday at the direction of Gov. Jerry Brown and with the encouragement of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. Unlike
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Torlakson says real problem is low teacher pay, not tenure
This was predictable: Friday’s announcement that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson wanted an appeal of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu’s ruling that teacher tenure laws are unconstitutional because they funnel the worst teachers to struggling schools
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Unions win court round in battle with charter cities
Unions lost round one of their battle with California cities over “prevailing wages” on public works projects in 2012. That’s when the California Supreme Court ruled against a law they’d gotten the Legislature to pass targeting charter cities for their
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Historic Vergara ruling finalized; state has weighty decision on appeal
A court decision that puts the interests of Latino and black students and parents on a collision course with those of the mostly white members of the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers has been finalized: The
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Kiplinger: CA taxes highest — and state hostile to retirees, too
Over the years, when I’ve reported that the nation’s CEOs continue to rank California as the most anti-business state in the country, I’ve gotten some blowback in emails and comments that question whether the ranking was manipulated. This is goofy
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iPad scandal latest in long line for L.A. Unified — but different
The abrupt decision Monday by Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy to suspend the district’s $1 billion iPad program after reports that he manipulated the decision that led to Apple winning the big contract is hugely juicy. The program already
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Vergara appeal decision: Nixon goes to China for Jerry Brown?
To an astounding degree, prominent California Democrats have so far avoided substantive comment on Judge Rolf Treu’s landmark — but tentative — June 10 ruling in Los Angeles Superior Court that teacher tenure laws are so harmful to minority students in
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CA editorial boards cool to anti-Uber power play
The editorial pages of the state’s largest newspapers largely agree about Tom Torlakson’s being undeserving of a second term as state superintendent of public instruction. Given the breadth of ideological views among these papers, that’s pretty rate. Now, rarely enough,
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Is Gov. Brown disinterested in pension reform?
Later today, the governing board of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System is expected to pass rules giving state employees 99 ways to spike their “pensionable pay.” Gov. Jerry Brown only objected to one of the 99 bonuses. This is
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Immigration: Feinstein acts like Chicago Dem, not CA Dem
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein won’t put up with the CIA spying on lawmakers. Her repeated denunciations of the agency this year have been remarkable, considering her decades as a leading figure in the national security establishment. But Feinstein isn’t so
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