Posts From James Poulos
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CA still struggling with unfunded liabilities
Despite a concerted effort from Gov. Jerry Brown to keep California from slipping back into the financial abyss, the state’s finances remain threatened by massive unfunded obligations. “It’s California’s debt and liabilities that are concerning financial analysts, particularly the state’s rapidly
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High costs plague embattled high-speed rail
Despite a major shift in its construction strategy, newly anticipated budget overruns hit California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project, as citizens and lawmakers mounted fresh challenges to the scheme. “California High-Speed Rail Authority employees are warning of possible cost overruns on the
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Effort underway to require legislators wear emblems of top donors
The movement to emblazon state legislators with the logos of their donors has collected tens of thousands of signatures for its would-be ballot initiative. “The measure, formally called the ‘Name All Sponsors California Accountability Reform (or NASCAR. Get it?) Initiative,’ would
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UC Berkeley deficit crisis threatens its long-term stability
Dramatically reopening what had seemed to be a settled matter, the University of California at Berkeley revealed plans for a sweeping spending reassessment due to vast deficits. Berkeley chancellor Nicholas Dirks said “the university had a ‘substantial and growing’ deficit that could threaten its
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ICE raids face CA resistance
Amid a fresh wave of immigration enforcement crackdowns, several powerful organizations in California have flexed their muscle to protect or benefit those present in the state illegally. The city of Los Angeles has become a focal point for several different efforts,
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Gov. Brown pushes prison forgiveness initiative
Convinced California’s prison population still must be lowered, Gov. Jerry Brown has begun to push a ballot initiative that would forgive some felons. The initiative’s details, first announced in late January, “would amend the fixed-sentence law Brown signed in 1976, to
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Dems jockey to succeed Brown
The competition to replace Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 has already heated up, with five prominent California Democrats already campaigning or angling to throw their hat in the ring. Along with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sought to get ahead of
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Crunch time for Obama’s big CA Asia summit
President Obama faced a soberminded summit with America’s Asian allies at the tail end of his latest trip to California, which will see him raise money for Democrats, make a guest appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show, and catch his
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Carly Fiorina suspends presidential campaign
After a momentary surge wherein she cast herself as a corporate leader who could wrest America back from the “political class,” former California Senate candidate and HP CEO Carly Fiorina ended her bid for the White House. The news
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CA lawmakers plot CPUC’s demise
The California Public Utilities Commission may not live to see the next presidential election. Under a new proposal put forth by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, the new chairman of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce, the CPUC — long under
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