Posts From James Poulos
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CA’s nuclear power in doubt
Despite calls for a resurgence in nuclear power, California could soon shutter its effort to keep the alternative energy going. PG&E’s Diablo Canyon plant, the state’s last, has wound up in the crosshairs. As the Associated Press reported, “the company
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Tough negotiations prompt UC enrollment to rise
The dust has settled from Gov. Jerry Brown’s protracted budget negotiations with University of California president Janet Napolitano — to the benefit of 10,000 additional students greenlit for the UC system by the 2018-2019 school year. Meeting in San Francisco, the UC
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Water woes bring uneven fines and regulations
California’s ongoing water crisis promised to extend the controversy over fines and regulations well into the next year — if not beyond. While some areas suffer, others flourish, and fines — in some instances aggressively applied — have been meted
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Google jumps into CA housing market
Google has broken into the real estate industry. Convinced that a big market still exists for bargain-seekers, the tech giant launched a mortgage calculator and recently debuted a new mortgage comparison feature. “Google predicted that nearly one in two borrowers still don’t
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Restive Democrats cautioned on budget surplus
A new report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office prepared the ground for fresh political combat in Sacramento over what to do with California’s budgetary surplus. Although “much of the predicted surpluses” could be skimmed off “for serious emergencies,” the San Francisco Chronicle
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CA utilities commission plays dangerous game with power grid security
The latest tit-for-tat between lawmakers and the California Public Utilities Commission has brought back bad memories of an in-state — and unsolved — national security threat. The tiff began when the CPUC “hired outside lawyers as federal and state investigators
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CA Congressional delegation divided on refugees as crisis spikes
Key Democrats in California’s Congressional delegation broke with President Obama on refugee policy, handing Congressional Republicans a veto-proof majority vote against him. “An Obama administration push urging lawmakers to oppose legislation that would effectively halt a program for refugees from Syria and Iraq failed
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Sharp divides strain CA on immigration
Pronounced differences around the issues of legal and illegal immigration have split voters, politicians, donors and immigrants themselves — from matters of funding and poverty to jobs and security. By the numbers California has become a flashpoint for immigration politics
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Gitsham among possible CA GOP Congressional ‘Young Guns’
Campaign funding from the national level could flow to California Republicans hoping to land a seat in Congress on election day. “Four Republican candidates running for open or Democratic-held House seats in California are ‘on the radar’ for spots in the
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Court won’t sink CA death penalty
Its fate long in doubt, the death penalty gained a new lease on life in California, driving opponents to muster support for a ballot initiative that would eliminate it once and for all. The turnaround arose from an unlikely place
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