Posts From James Poulos
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GOP struggles finding U.S. Senate candidate
With California Sen. Barbara Boxer retiring in 2016, Democrats have enthused over their deep bench of ambitious politicians ready and willing to replace her. Republicans, by contrast, have been more timid. A few party figures have stepped forward, but bold-faced names have not, leaving
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Gov. Brown breaks drought funds dry spell
Flanked by U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Gov. Jerry Brown recently announced a combined $50 million in drought relief funds, much of it headed the Golden State’s way. But Jewell and Brown tamped down criticism, suggesting the crisis was far from
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AG Harris challenges reversal of CA foie gras ban
Just two days before the deadline, California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office filed notice the state would challenge U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson’s January ruling that federal law preempts the state’s ban on serving foie gras. The phrase in French means “fatted
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CA bill would snuff smoking until age 21
Smoke ’em if you got ’em — maybe. A new wave of anti-smoking legislation is wafting through the halls of the state Capitol. And it’s been more than four years since former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger folded his cigar “smoking tent”
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Physical education settlement gives slacking CA schools a workout
Faced with an embarrassing lawsuit over physical education requirements, California schools have opted to settle with the Golden State parent spearheading the case. Marc Babin, who created an organization called Cal200 to further his aims, sued California in 2013 to enforce
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CA DNA database does not compute
A new bill seeks to eliminate the California “biobank” created last year over strenuous objections from privacy advocates and some judges. Assembly Bill 170, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, aims to curb the broad and longstanding practice of acquiring
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CA stricken with vaccine controversy
As a rash of measles outbreaks raises health alarms, Californians are caught in a national crossfire of controversy over a new trend against vaccinating children. Thanks to relatively lenient laws, the Golden State has been caught flat-footed as over 100 residents have contracted the
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CA prison population drops below court-ordered level
After an improvised scramble to reduce populations in accordance with federal court orders, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration has succeeded in lowering the number of state prison inmates to the judicially prescribed level. He largely accomplished that through his Public Safety
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Obamacare takes turn for the worse in CA
As the Affordable Care Act and the Covered California health exchange enter their second year, Californians have begun to encounter fresh challenges and disappointments — a development that has pushed enrollment numbers below official targets. This year, signups are trailing
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CA Supreme Court bars judges from Boy Scouts
In an unexpected exercise of judicial activism, the California Supreme Court has ruled judges must not participate in organizations that practice so-called “invidious” discrimination. It’s a judicial standard interpreted by the court to include the Boy Scouts of America because, although
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