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.

PG&E Chapter 11 moves ahead – despite criticism over bonuses and board

Pacific Gas & Electric’s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January – coming after three years of deadly, destructive wildfires in its service areas and never-ending concerns about its safety record – hasn’t stopped the negative headlines. The

Central Valley roiled by Newsom’s bullet-train plans, but some hopeful

Chris Reed April 1, 2019

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement in his State of the State speech in February that he didn’t believe California had the resources to complete its $77 billion statewide bullet-train project produced a backlash that Newsom didn’t seem to expect. Within hours

Credit rating agencies concerned about California pensions costs

Chris Reed April 1, 2019

A new Public Policy Institute of California poll shows the number of state residents worried about the cost of government pensions is at a 14-year low. In recent remarks to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, new state Superintendent of

Bill seeks to raise state’s F grade on budget transparency

Chris Reed March 27, 2019

Getting detailed information about the California budget has long been a headache. The state Department of Finance provides online access to decades of information, but the portal is clumsy and difficult to use. There are no easy ways to chart

New proposal would provide banking access for cannabis industry

Chris Reed March 25, 2019

Four months after a high-profile effort to find a way to provide California’s legal marijuana industry with access to financial services ended in failure, state Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, and state Treasurer Fiona Ma are back with a new

Sacramento teacher strike threat spurs criticism

Chris Reed March 22, 2019

Teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District have authorized a strike, hoping to follow in the footsteps of teachers in Los Angeles Unified and Oakland Unified and secure substantial raises after a brief walkout. But in key ways, the

Bill blocking ‘rent gouging’ draws buzz in Capitol

Chris Reed March 19, 2019

Less than six months after voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have gutted a 1995 state law banning new types of rent control on all single-family homes and all rent control on apartments or condos built after the

Fight escalates over federal funds for CA bullet train

Chris Reed March 11, 2019

The battle between California and the Trump administration over $3.4 billion in federal funding that was committed nearly a decade ago to the state’s bullet-train project escalated last week when a key state leader rejected federal criticisms of the project’s

Court ruling praised by both sides of pension debate

Chris Reed March 11, 2019

For the second time in two years, the California Supreme Court has released a ruling on a large state issue that analysts say creates new uncertainty going forward. Last week, the court issued its long-awaited decision in a court case

California bill would let 17-year-olds vote in all elections

Chris Reed March 1, 2019

California doesn’t have a particularly high opinion of the maturity of 18-year-olds, who can join the military but who can’t legally buy alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or firearms until they’re 21. But Assemblyman Evan Low (pictured), D-San Jose, wants to go