Posts From James Poulos
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CA high court upholds affordable housing requirement
Many Golden State developers must now include so-called affordable housing units in their sales plans. The California Supreme Court sided against the builders, who brought a contentious, high-profile suit against municipal policymakers. “At issue was a 2010 San Jose law that requires some new residential
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CA Dems pass budget, forcing talks with Brown
Challenging their own governor for budget supremacy, California Democrats passed an ambitious state budget with just hours to spare before the deadline. Dueling Democrats “California lawmakers on Monday approved a budget with $2.2 billion more in spending than proposed by Democrat
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CA Dems move to remake state voting
Pursuing a long-held dream of maximizing voter turnout, California Democrats have coalesced around legislation that would fundamentally transform the experience — and inconvenience — of casting ballots. “California elections would be radically retooled, with neighborhood polling places replaced by ‘voting centers’
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New CA pot analysis sees savings, raises questions
According to one respected source in Sacramento, pot is good for California’s bottom line. The state Legislative Analyst’s Office, which produces nonpartisan studies of ballot initiatives, has unveiled a new report considering the fiscal impact of marijuana decriminalization in the Golden
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CA water rights hit hard
After floating the possibility for months, authorities followed through on threatened curtailments on California’s most senior water rights holders. “The action by the State Water Resources Control Board, after weeks of warnings, affects 114 different water-rights holders in the Sacramento and San
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Medi-Cal boom strains doctors and budgets
With Medicaid eligibility expanded nationwide under the Affordable Care Act, Medi-Cal enrollees have discovered that care in California is not keeping up with increased demand. “Today, more than 12 million Californians, nearly one-third of the state’s total population, are enrolled in the
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High-speed rail mired in outrage
Reacting to a new analysis showing how California’s high-speed rail could stretch between Palmdale and Burbank, affected residents descended on downtown Los Angeles to voice outrage and anxiety before train officials. “The coordinated protest,” noted the Los Angeles Times, “presents a potent political challenge as state officials push to
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SCOTUS sides with SF against NRA
Continuing its reticence to reach beyond a landmark decision seven years ago, the Supreme Court handed a victory to tight regulations on gun use in San Francisco. Twin ordinances “The court on Monday let stand court rulings in favor of a
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CA Dems pressure Brown on spending
New budget deadline, same budget battle. That could be the watchword for Sacramento this week, as leading Democrats in the Assembly and the Senate labored on a spending plan that could survive the governor’s scrutiny. Equipped with a line-item veto, which allows
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Hyperloop test track to break CA ground
Elon Musk proposed it years ago. This January, he announced he’d enable teams to test it out on a track in Texas. But the first entrepreneur to ink a deal for a Hyperloop test track will bring the concept to life
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