Posts From James Poulos
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Gov. Brown ‘saves’ sriracha
From the looks of it, the sriracha scandal is over, thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown. Dig deeper, however, and the sudden resolution to the nine-month-old ordeal becomes more mysterious. First, the simple part of the story. On Wednesday, the Irwindale City Council
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More parolees hit CA streets
Whether young or old, increased numbers of paroled convicts are rejoining California society. A new high court ruling likely will decrease life-without-parole prison sentencing for juvenile offenders. State parole boards are substantially increasing recommendations for release. And Gov. Jerry Brown is facilitating the new
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CA sex offender laws suddenly shaken up
Life is about to get a little easier for Californians on the state’s sex offender registry. Substantial changes to the law are underway at both the legislative and judicial levels. In Sacramento, lawmakers are seriously considering a plan that would pare
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LAUSD sends ‘rubber room’ teachers home
The Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to end one of its most controversial practices. Instead of putting a damper on criticism, however, the move could intensify it. Starting today, teachers under investigation will not be sent to detention
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CA bullying controversies go national
America is shocked — and fascinated — by bullying in California. In recent days, several local stories relating to the issue have been picked up by the national news media. Together, they illustrate three important developments. First, policymakers are struggling to determine how
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LA pot politics spreads statewide
Thanks to Los Angeles, the politics of marijuana is lighting up in California this election season. Not only are L.A. laws, attitudes and consumption habits influencing neighboring counties, they’re impacting the statewide debate. The situation is that Proposition 215, which voters approved in
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Pension costs burden CA budget
Gov. Jerry Brown still hasn’t gotten his state’s budget problems beat. A high-profile new report showed California still faces massive liabilities extending far into the future. The study, released by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, tallied over $340 billion in debts, deferred payment and other
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Top CA GOP senator backs bilingual ed
A notable Golden State Republican just made a U-turn on 16 years of education policy: Sens. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar. He jointed majority Democrats in a vote of the California Senate Education Committee to recommended adding an initiative to the 2016 ballot that would restore bilingual education to the
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CA joins national gun standoff
It’s a gun standoff like in a Quentin Tarantino movie — barrels pointed but nothing resolved for now. That’s why gun law in California and the rest of America won’t be standardized anytime soon. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take
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CA Dems seek new corporate tax
A new bill would hike taxes on corporations with the biggest spread in paid wages. The legislation, Senate Bill 1372, was recently introduced by state Sens. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, and Loni Hancock, D-Oakland. It passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee late
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