Posts From James Poulos
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CA may save enough to skip big water works
Demonstrating the simple power of reducing daily water usage, Californians have impressed regulators and policymakers by taking a huge bite out of statewide consumption. “The numbers reflect broad conservation success at a crucial time,” the Sacramento Bee reported. “Last year,
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CA Dems split on legislation mandating emissions cuts
Landmark climate legislation has run aground in Sacramento, hobbled by a rebellion among Democrats skittish of being tied by constituents to the potential economic impact of further mandated emissions cuts. Inadequate support The unanticipated struggle threw supporters of the bill, including Gov. Jerry Brown,
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Brown offers infrastructure compromise plan
Shifting gears from a public hands-off approach, Brown gave California lawmakers his own take on how to reach an agreement over new infrastructure spending. Brown’s proposal would impose $65 fees on drivers each year “and higher gas taxes to fund a
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CA center gives military new tech leap
Hoping to change the way the defense industry innovates, the Obama administration has pushed the Department of Defense much deeper into Silicon Valley. The Pentagon announced a sizable new investment anchored by a new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid
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CA seeks water relief from pot farmers
California’s protracted drought has upended business as usual for many of the Golden State’s marijuana farmers, who now face both increased scrutiny and increased cooperation from regulators. An uneasy partnership With the prospect of a big ballot initiative on recreational
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Drone bill shakes up CA startups
The fate of California’s private drones will be decided by Gov. Jerry Brown, who must choose whether to sign divisive legislation headed to his desk. Privacy vs. productivity The bill cleared both chambers of the state Legislature “despite bipartisan concern about regulating
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CA settles prison suit, curbing solitary
A momentous court settlement has given new shape to California’s multi-year struggle with the courts over its criminal justice system, rolling back the state’s reliance on solitary confinement as a way of dealing with gangs and violence in prison. “Many such
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Survey: Voters want more police oversight, reform
This year, Californians wanted more police reform than they’ve gotten. The results of a new poll, touted by activist groups, revealed a constituency for continued re-adjustments in the balance between what law enforcement can do and what residents must expect. Broad
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Electric cars upend CA politics
As California’s electric car industry heats up, Sacramento’s role in incentivizing the vehicles for environmentalist reasons has become an uncharacteristic political football. Underscoring the disruptive effect of the often libertarian sensibility behind auto innovations, the controversy has pitted Republicans against
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CA death penalty goes on trial
California’s practice of capital punishment has landed on a death row of its own. “The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hold a hearing in Pasadena on a lower-court decision that found California’s death penalty system unconstitutional and
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