John, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From John

John

State Senate 21: Runner seeks to reclaim seat

John January 15, 2015

Sharon Runner, a former High Desert state lawmaker and “walking miracle,” is asking voters to send her back to the California Senate. After declining to seek reelection in 2012, due to a life-threatening autoimmune disease, Runner was replaced by fellow Republican Steve Knight.

CA Democrats jockey to replace Boxer

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s retirement announcement couldn’t come soon enough for the next generation of California Democrats, who’ve eagerly waited for the chance to move up. The 2016 election, according to the Associated Press, will be “a free-for-all among a new

Federal judge strikes down CA foie gras ban

John January 8, 2015

Bon appétit. A federal judge has struck down California’s prohibition on foie gras — more than a decade after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the nation’s first ban on the culinary treat. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson ruled Wednesday that

Gov. Brown boosts energy-policy leverage

John January 7, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown believes it will take “pragmatic caution” and “active collaboration” to achieve his goal of seeing half of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2030. “How we achieve these goals and at what pace will take great thought

New 2015 laws: Hollywood wins, in-home care loses

John January 2, 2015

New Year’s Day sure wasn’t a holiday from new regulations: 2015 brings 931 new laws Californians must obey. Some took effect on Jan. 1; others will later in the year. State lawmakers — with the approval of Gov. Jerry Brown — have changed how

Gov. Brown pardons 105 ex-cons, rescinds one

John December 31, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown offered Christmas Eve pardons to 105 Californians. But before the paperwork reached the Secretary of State’s office, that number was reduced by one. After facing questions from the Los Angeles Times, Brown retracted the pardon of Glen

CA Common Cause: State lawmakers accepted $844,000 in gifts in 2013

John December 29, 2014

Let the good times roll! California lawmakers accepted $844,000 in gifts in 2013 — the majority of which came from special interest groups that routinely lobby the state Legislature. According to a new report released by the good-government group California Common Cause, gifts

Gov. Brown appoints new chair to scandal-plagued CPUC

John December 24, 2014

After months of damaging headlines and questions about its coziness with energy companies, the California Public Utilities Commission is getting new leadership. On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown promoted Commissioner Michael Picker, a longtime Democratic political consultant and Brown’s former energy

Are millennials being priced out of California?

John December 22, 2014

Are millennials being priced out of California? A recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau analyzing statistics from the latest American Community Survey showed the Millennial Generation is struggling to find full-time employment, obtain affordable housing and reach financial independence. The problems

After 2014 successes, CA GOP leaders seek second term

John December 17, 2014

Two years ago, Jim Brulte chastised his party for losing seats to laziness. “There were three Assembly seats that were lost because we got lazy,” Brulte said shortly after taking the helm as chairman of the California Republican Party in March