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Water war’s new front: Where to add major storage projects

After a 35-year stalemate stalled new California water storage projects, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders agreed in 2014 to include $2.7 billion for such needs as part of Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion water bond approved in a landslide

Housing crisis drives teacher shortage in Bay Area

Chris Reed August 16, 2017

With the academic year already under way in some Bay Area school districts, teacher shortages linked to the extreme cost of housing in the region are more prevalent than ever. In San Jose, where classes began last week, dozens of

New flare-ups in progressives’ summer of discontent

Chris Reed August 10, 2017

The California progressive movement’s summer of discontent continues, with anger still on display over the abrupt withdrawal of a single-payer health care bill and over the May election of a party insider as California Democratic chairman. This week, the Associated

AB32, Trump help Schwarzenegger repair reputation

Chris Reed August 1, 2017

In 2011, after his seven-year run as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger had plenty of reasons to worry about how his time in elected office might be remembered. It wasn’t just that he was widely viewed as an under-performing leader who never

Wells Fargo faces massive new scandal

Chris Reed July 31, 2017

Wells Fargo’s hopes that a $142 million June settlement of a class-action lawsuit over its agents creating up to 2.1 million unwanted checking, savings and credit-card accounts from 2011 to 2015 would end the iconic California company’s headaches have been

State Democrats’ internal rift persists

Chris Reed July 26, 2017

The tension between the progressive “Berniecrat” wing and the mainstream liberal wing of the California Democratic Party appears likely to resonate for years to come. That’s the clear takeaway from Bay Area political organizer’s Kimberly Ellis’ vow to keep contesting

GOP lawmakers bet bullet train bad news will continue

Chris Reed July 24, 2017

Will news about the California bullet train’s cost overruns and missed construction deadlines remain the norm for years to come? Or will the state’s $64 billion project find a groove and make considerable progress in coming years? These are the

Local governments in no mood for CalPERS’ happy talk

Chris Reed July 20, 2017

Last week’s announcement by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System that it had strong 11.2 percent returns on its investment portfolio in 2016-2017 after terrible returns the two preceding years prompted ebullience from the pension giant’s supporters. Sacramento Democratic insider

Tenure reform bill abruptly withdrawn in win for teachers union

Chris Reed July 17, 2017

The clout of the California Teachers Association was on full display last week when a bill by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, to reform a tenure law that can give lifetime job protections to teachers 18 months into their careers

CA Legislature may restore internet privacy rights rolled back by Washington

Chris Reed July 7, 2017

The California Legislature is considering effectively restoring internet privacy regulations in America’s largest state that were adopted for the entire nation under the Obama administration but were repealed in April. The measure by Assemblyman Ed Chau – Assembly Bill 375 –