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Back to homepageOn-time budget full of holes, games, gimmicks
June 16, 2012 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — The Legislature met its constitutional budget deadline, which means legislators will not be docked their pay this year. However, claims by legislative leadership that this budget really is a balanced, honest budget,
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It’s a Three Stooges Budget
June 15, 2012 By Katy Grimes With California’s entire $91 billion budget being decided and voted on today, we can honestly and unequivocally say that California Democrats own the budget, lock, stock and smoking barrel. But this year, budget talks have
Read MoreCalifornia’s budget hell-week
June 14, 2012 By Katy Grimes With the big constitutional budget vote tomorrow in the Legislature, the usual budget games have not let anyone down this year. Only this time, far fewer lawmakers have a hand in the process. And,
Read MoreTop Two destroyed third parties
June 12, 2012 By John Seiler More than two years ago on CalWatchDog.com, I was the first to report that the Top Two voting system would destroy third parties. My article was entitled, “Will Prop. 14 kill third parties?” It
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I wasn’t born to follow…
June 12, 2012 By John Seiler Cue the great Byrds song, “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” from one of my favorite movies, “Easy Rider”: I bring that up because The New York Times’ featured “conservative,” David Brooks, whom I knew
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Moonbeamasaurus and giant labor lizards
June 11, 2012 Katy Grimes: Politics in 2012 California feels more like the Mesozoic age. Around every corner is a predator, waiting to pounce in search of its next meal. Predatory labor lizard unions, public employee unions, politicians, special interest
Read MoreWe have been deleting abusive comments
June 8, 2012 By John Seiler We appreciate our commentators adding to our articles. But the past two days I have spent several hours deleting abusive posts, in particular from one commentator who has contributed interesting, civil comments in the
Read MoreSacramento redevelopment repackaged?
Katy Grimes: John Shirey, Sacramento’s latest city manager and former director of California’s defunct Redevelopment Agency, sent out an email this evening promoting local business “opportunities” connecting with “resources.” Only those “resources” are being repackaged as opportunities for small businesses as
Read MoreIllegal tax pays for new state employees
June 7, 2012 Katy Grimes: California lawmakers apparently didn’t get the message voters sent on Tuesday night. Earlier today, the Sen. Budget Committee approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to spend another $6.4 million collecting the State Responsibility Area fire tax,
Read MoreAll in favor say ‘mooo’
June 7, 2012 Katy Grimes: The Assembly just passed ACR 156 by Assemblyman David Valadeo, R-Hanford, recognizing June as ‘Dairy Month’ in California. Valadeo Comes from a dairy farm family, so it is no surprise he authored the resolution. Valadeo
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