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.

Why CA’s going to thrive: nanotech, biotech and, in particular, Google

I will always remember 2013 as the year that I became a downright-giddy optimist about California’s future. Regardless of the massive incompetence and (mostly legal) corruption of its government leaders, the Golden State is going to be saved by its

McClintock: Ryan budget plan riddled with dishonesty

Chris Reed December 13, 2013

Tom McClintock, once the shrewdest guy in the Legislature, is now among the shrewder people in Congress. Last night the Northern California lawmaker sent out a column trashing the two-year budget compromise approved by the House at the behest of

$Mexico to join shale/fracking revolution; will media keep CA out?$

Mexico to join shale/fracking revolution; will media keep CA out?

Chris Reed December 12, 2013

This spring, I did a two-week series for Cal Watchdog on the many nations around the world that are pursuing fracking in oil and gas exploration after witnessing its immense success in North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Here’s

Santa Monica police a case study in excessive pay driven from top down

Chris Reed December 10, 2013

Santa Monica is one of the great places to be in the world, not just California. It has incredible weather, often in the mid-70s in August when the San Fernando Valley is baking, lots of great restaurants and a surprising

George Skelton finally turns on bullet train. Now will Dan Morain?

Chris Reed December 9, 2013

So it’s been clear for years that when it comes to the bullet train, Gov. Jerry Brown has lost Sac Bee news columnist Dan Walters. This weekend’s column makes it clear that the LAT’s George Skelton is about to jump

Texas-California rivalry hits new phase: burger wars

Chris Reed December 8, 2013

My money’s on the company from California. “World famous California hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger opened a new location in Round Rock Tuesday. “As the first location in Central Texas, the new In-N-Out will allow customers a much easier way to

Bullet-train blog urges $29B in new CA taxes to save project

Chris Reed December 7, 2013

These are melancholy and bitter times for the California High Speed Rail Blog. Overseer Robert Cruickshank has reacted to Judge Michael Kenny’s rulings blocking the project by decrying the taxpayer protections in the 2008 ballot measure authorizing $9.95 billion in

Bullet train: Denial is a river in Sacramento

Chris Reed December 6, 2013

The meeting Thursday of the board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority was a laugh riot, with authority officials dismissing state and federal setbacks as much ado about nothing. This is from the Mercury-News: “SACRAMENTO — Critics and many political

CA SEIU poised to break new ground on political thuggery

Chris Reed December 5, 2013

The California SEIU’s thuggishness is a matter of record. SEIU leaders think nothing of openly discussing their plans to monkey-wrench a pension reform measure in Los Angeles. Or about bullying and lying to their own members. The California SEIU’s upper

State finances: LAO’s own report on CalSTRS demolishes LAO’s happy talk

Chris Reed December 4, 2013

I’m still struggling to make sense of Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor’s bizarrely upbeat report last month on state finances that predicted budget surpluses for years to come — but barely mentioned the state’s huge unfunded liabilities for retiree pensions and