Poizner speaks on water, unions, immigration

I’m listening to Steve Poizner speak to the GOP convention in Santa Clara. He points to the state’s economy and the level of misery here caused by unemployment and underemployment. Where are the jobs going? He points to Nevada, where

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Truth-Slinging at the GOP convention

When someone decried “mudslinging” by political opponents, the late columnist Mike Royko replied that it really was “truth-slinging.” Although politicians are prone to lie, during a campaign they have to be careful to vet the charges made against opponents, because

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GOP convention yawner

I tried to stay away from the California Republican convention in Santa Clara this weekend, opting instead for my youngest daughter’s lacrosse tournament, but I couldn’t stay away. Like a magnet, the event drew me from the Sacramento area to

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Meg n Mitt

At this weekend’s GOP convention in Santa Clara, Meg Whitman is making all kinds of promises of reform to cut government. But her biggest action was hosting a party yesterday with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts guv and presidential candidate.

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Down with Bully Bureaucrats!

You gotta love a website that puts a Drudge Report-like flashing police strobe light on their homepage. Lieutenant Governor candidate/state Senator Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, just stuck one on his senate homepage to advertise his new Bully Bureaucrat Hotline. And

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California Forward or Backward?

In a press conference yesterday for  the new “reform” group California Forward, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), and representatives of California Forward announced a package of reforms to “improve government effectiveness in California,

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Why Kathleen Brown lost

With Jerry Brown running for governor — again — I might as well tell my Kathleen Brown Story. Because of Wilson’s tax increases in 1991 and 1993, California was not enjoying the economic recovery that the rest of the nation

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Chiang releases new cash flow figures

Today state Controller John Chiang updated the state’s official cash balance. For the third month in a row, the state brought in more than it expected — $480 million more, or 8.7 percent above Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget predictions. Chiang

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Best put-down by LAO

I always enjoy Legislative Analyst’s Office reports, which tend to be well-researched, well-written, fair and professional. But now I give the LAO new kudos — for writing one of the best put-downs I’ve read in a while. This is from

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AB32 vs. jobs

The nonpartisan — and, in my experience, professional and objective — Legislative Analyst confirms that AB32 will kill jobs. AB32 is the 2006 bill that’s supposed to cut greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020. It’s called the “Global Warming Solutions

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