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Poll: 64% of Californians link drought to global warming

A strong majority of Californians say they support tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions and more ambitious renewable energy goals to combat climate change, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said global

NFL exec has mixed take on San Diego plan

Chris Reed July 29, 2015

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, told a senior NFL executive on Tuesday about the city’s plans to pay for and expedite the building of a new $1.2

Electric car sharing program rolls out in L.A.

Chris Nichols July 29, 2015

As many as 7,000 low-income Los Angeles residents could eventually take part in a state-funded electric car sharing program that rolled out last week. State and city officials celebrated the soft launch of the endeavor — which aims to improve

San Diego County’s odd pension saga ends

Chris Reed July 28, 2015

The San Diego County government has long held itself in high regard, boasting of its fiscal reserves, reasonable labor contracts and stable services. This attitude was reflected in 2012, when county Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard used his retirement announcement

Groups eye additional “sin tax” revenue

Joel Fox July 28, 2015

Is a tax on cigarettes a revenue raiser or a “sin tax” — used to discourage individuals from using products considered harmful? The effort to raise taxes on cigarettes – there is a measure in the Legislature as well a

New bill takes aim at drones near wildfires

Chris Nichols July 27, 2015

Fed up with private drones interfering with firefighting, a state senator has announced another bill to keep unmanned aerial vehicles away from hot spots. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado, said SB168 would indemnify emergency responders who damage a drone during

Fresno Unified has big, related legal headaches

Chris Reed July 27, 2015

Fresno Unified — California’s fourth-largest school district — is reeling from a state appeals court ruling that imperils the way it’s been doing bidding for school construction projects. At the same, the $37 million deal that led to the court

Former Long Beach superintendent: Break up LAUSD

Chris Reed July 26, 2015

Carl Cohn, the former Long Beach and San Diego superintendent who is considered one of the wise men of California public education, has a radical idea: Break up the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since he left the State Board of

CA Indian tribes’ opposition to Serra sainthood grows

Chris Reed July 24, 2015

While Gov. Jerry Brown and other dignitaries are meeting with Pope Francis in Rome and at the Vatican this week to talk about climate change and other issues, the pope is under fire back in California. A growing number of

DMV issues 400,000 licenses to unauthorized immigrants

Chris Nichols July 23, 2015

The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued nearly 400,000 driver licenses to unauthorized immigrants from January through June, following the start of a contested new law that green-lighted such action. The Safe and Responsible Drivers Act was passed by the