Posts From Wayne Lusvardi
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Steinberg calls for carbon tax on gasoline
Last week, state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, proposed a “carbon tax” on gasoline and other fuels. This tax is separate from the taxes imposed by the state’s cap-and-trade program. Steinberg has opposed a cap-and-trade emissions tax on gasoline
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Gov. Brown redefines ongoing programs as emergency drought aid
Thirty-four days after California Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official statewide drought emergency, he joined State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Perez on Feb. 19 in announcing an emergency drought aid package. (They
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Obama drought relief package aids his constituency
On Friday Feb. 14, President Barack Obama choppered into California’s drought zone in Democratic-leaning Fresno. As shown in the adjacent photo from the White House, he traveled with U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jim Costa, all California
Read MoreNew CARB Scoping Plan claims fighting ‘climate change’ is a ‘great unifier’
Yesterday the California Air Resources Board released the first update of its Climate Change Scoping Plan. The original Scoping Plan came out in Dec. 2008. Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, required the original Scoping Plan
Read MoreCan CA public-employee pensions be reformed?
Almost everyone acknowledges that California’s public pension system needs reform. Gov. Jerry Brown brought up reform in his his Jan. 2014 budget proposal for fiscal year 2014-15, which begins on July 1: “Future liabilities — to schools, public employees’ pensions and
Read MoreEast Coast freeze triggers voluntary CA electricity cutback
It’s not just water Californians are being asked to conserve. Yesterday, California’s Independent System Operator, which regulates the state’s electricity grid, called for a rare voluntary cutback in electricity use from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. The unusual reason: The
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Drought Wars: Where did the farm water go?
Where did that farm water go? That’s a major question stalking California during its record drought. The finger-pointing sure is under way. On Feb. 4, environmental writer Dan Bacher pointed at state water managers, claiming they made the California drought worse by
Read MoreSen. Steinberg advances drought bill
Yesterday state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, released an outline of a drought reduction bill. Steinberg does not want to be outdone by Republican congressmen grabbing all the media attention for being the first to float an anti-drought
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