Posts From James Poulos
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CA confronts a Prop. 47 crime wave
Nearly a year after California voters overwhelmingly agreed to lessen sentences and release inmates convicted of minor crimes, statistical and anecdotal evidence has cast doubt on the wisdom of Proposition 47. A souring trend Change has been swift, but results
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CA bans campus concealed carry
Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill criminalizing the concealed carry of firearms on campus. “Proposed by state Democrats, SB707 passed the Senate in a 23-12 vote in June sending it to the Assembly where it cleared in a largely partisan 54-24 roll call
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CA forges ahead with new animal laws
Not only humans were affected by the spate of new bills signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. From pigs to whales, lawmakers succeeded in changing the way animals are treated in California. Strengthening antibiotics Just seven lawmakers voted against a bill
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Brown signs automatic voter registration
Secretary of State Alex Padilla has succeeded in his quest to automatically register Californians to vote. Partisan privileges The bill he sponsored, passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, touched off a fresh round of controversy over
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Future of CA marijuana still hazy
The biggest of the California marijuana initiatives has at last been unveiled. But it has yet to lock up enough support to wipe out the competition. Striking a balance “The Control, Regulate and Tax Cannabis Act of 2016 would allow
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China joins growing interest in CA high speed rail
Seeking to tout its market value, California’s High Speed Rail Authority recently solicited bids for private investment, drawing dozens of responses. “Facing criticism from opponents for the lack of private investors lining up to finance the $68 billion project, the rail authority asked
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CA unions brace for SCOTUS hearing on dues
Faced with the greatest legal challenge to their core source of revenue, California unions have braced for defeat and scrambled for alternatives. Some time after its new term begins this month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Friedrichs v.
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Brown vetoes numerous curbs on drone use; approves one
Despite shooting down a series of bills intended to restrict the private use of drones in public airspace, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a fourth bill that restricted the use of drones around and above private property. “The law expands the state’s definition of invasion of privacy
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Pension reform initiative reworked
The leaders of California’s pension reform movement have scrapped their previous effort, introducing two new schemes instead. The news added a fresh twist to the state’s long-running game of political cat and mouse, which has seen state officials labor to cast would-be reforms
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Brown signs right-to-die legislation
Falling back on personal intuition, Gov. Jerry Brown signed physician-assisted suicide into California law. The move capped a long and sometimes tortuous effort to get legislation through the state Legislature, where opponents of elective death managed to mount a successfully targeted opposition
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