Pressure building on Napolitano over dubious UC testimony

Pressure is building on University of California President Janet Napolitano after the San Francisco Chronicle obtained two batches of official documents that appeared to show Napolitano was untruthful in her testimony at a joint legislative oversight hearing May 2 at

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Expert questions tax agency’s push for space launch taxes

One of the world’s leading experts on the commercialization of space questions the California Franchise Tax Board’s move to make the Golden State the first to impose state taxes on private space launch and tourism firms. John Logsdon, co-founder of

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Trump tax plan may not be easy sell to some state Republicans

President Trump’s release last week of a one-page list of his principles for tax reform reflected Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s longstanding advocacy of a much-simpler tax code with sharply lower rates. Because among the deductions Mnuchin seeks to zero out

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Feds: Household making $105K in San Francisco is ‘low income’

San Francisco and San Mateo counties in the Bay Area have passed a grim milestone reflecting extreme housing costs: The federal government now considers households in the counties which make $100,000 a year to be “low income,” making them eligible

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Landlords could prove irresistible target in housing debate

The California housing crisis remains an intense focus in the state Legislature, with lawmakers touting dozens of bills they argue could bring relief to residents stressed by high rents and mortgages. But if some progressives get their way, the state

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Once scandal-plagued, L.A. County now unusually quiet

A CalWatchdog survey last August of all the different corruption scandals in recent years at local agencies in south and central Los Angeles County suggested that the area amounted to the New Jersey of Golden State politics. The survey, which

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Trump budget cuts could add to California housing crisis

  California’s housing crisis seems likely to soon become significantly more complicated – and quite possibly worse for poor residents who rely on federal help. That’s because President Trump’s proposed 2017-18 budget both undercuts and targets many programs that are part

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California’s Legislative Analyst claims NIMBYism driving state’s housing crisis

When Gov. Jerry Brown’s aggressive proposal to jump-start housing construction by sharply streamlining the approvals process for urban housing projects that met certain conditions died quietly in September, the general consensus was that it was a victim of powerful factions

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Will L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti join crowded 2018 governor’s race?

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s landslide re-election win Tuesday led to inevitable speculation that he would join the crowded 2018 Democratic gubernatorial field. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, with his high profile and access to the deep-pockets of Bay Area and

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State Republicans embrace key Trump policies

The California Republican Party wrapped up its annual spring convention by re-electing former state Sen. Jim Brulte, R-Rancho Cucamonga, to his third term as state chairman – but while also moving away from policies Brulte has touted to stands more attuned

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