Posts From James Poulos
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CA poll: Public schools good, tenure bad
A new poll indicated that Californians broadly supported public school reform, even among respondents whose support for public education remained strong: “Californians trust their public school teachers and want to spend more money supporting public schools, according to a recent poll. […] California
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CA Senate wades into police videotaping controversy
Faced with mounting criticism over civil liberties abuses, lawmakers in Sacramento greenlit a so-called clarification of Californians’ right to videotape and photograph police officers on the job. Senate Bill 411, introduced by state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, protects the practice so long
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Unions central to Brown’s infrastructure plans
Faced with a restive constituency disgruntled by drought, Gov. Jerry Brown has moved to execute on his plans for California infrastructure — a boon to labor unions, but a point of contention for his political adversaries. Train trouble As the Los
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Environmentalists face blame for drought
As California’s potent drought inspired soul searching from analysts worried the Golden State can’t grow without water, politicians and officials focused on a more immediate task: laying blame for the problem. Gov. Jerry Brown has tried to set a philosophical tone, cautioning that
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Sanchez poised to challenge Harris for Boxer’s Senate seat
With expectation building around a presumptive Senate run, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Ca., is scheduled to attend a high-powered meet and greet event in San Francisco today, April 10. The move signals what could be the beginning of a Democratic title fight in
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Accusations fly over volatile CA gas prices
In an unusual exercise of power, California lawmakers in the state Senate launched a preliminary probe into the recent spike in Golden State gas prices. Although the numbers have dipped back down, and a big refinery explosion last month sidelined some
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Feds cloud pot picture in CA
Over the strenuous objections of some California lawmakers, the Department of Justice vowed to continue prosecuting the medical marijuana industry in the Golden State. Despite a recent bipartisan federal amendment de-funding the Department’s fight against medical marijuana, spokesman Patrick Rodenbush revealed to the
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CA court OKs school yoga
Yoga classes didn’t violate the California Constitution, an appellate court has ruled. This year, a North San Diego County school district roiled some Californians with concerns that its yoga program was too religious. As similar programs have spread around the country,
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Brown imposes 25 percent water cutbacks
Faced with a crisis unprecedented in California’s history or his own tenure in office, Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled mandatory water restrictions at Phillips Station, a Sierra Nevada locale hit hard by this year’s meager snowfall. Cities and towns, he said, must now
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Doctors join push for CA assisted suicide
In a medical community sharply divided on the issue of assisted suicide, momentum has shifted to the side that embraces the idea — with California at the forefront of the change. Two Golden State doctors with life-threatening illnesses have recently become plaintiffs in
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