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SCOTUS decision rolls back EPA authority
On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down the Environmental Protection Agency’s restriction of power plants’ emissions of mercury and other air pollutants in a 5-4 vote. The premise of Michigan v. EPA was whether the agency could refuse to consider
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CalSTRS pension fix harder on taxpayers than UC fix
In the newly enacted 2015-16 state budget, the University of California has agreed to major pension changes, building on revisions already made under Gov. Jerry Brown since 2011. This account is from the Sacramento Bee: As part of an arrangement
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When Anthony Kennedy was a ‘bashful’ CA lobbyist
Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of last week’s historic Supreme Court decision making gay marriage the law of the land, is a Californian through and through. Here’s part of his official court bio: Kennedy was born in Sacramento, California, on
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HBO’s “True Detective” mines CA politics for its plot
The second season of HBO’s highly popular “True Detective” series is set in a beat-up industrial Los Angeles County suburb and is inspired by two California political controversies/scandals. The Hit & Run blog has some key details: … Vince Vaughn
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Mandatory vaccination bill clears Legislature
The mandatory vaccine bill, SB277, passed the state Assembly on a 46-30 vote during a Thursday hearing. Proponents of the bill say the passage is a victory for science and public health, while opponents decry the bill’s infringement upon parental
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L.A. sportscaster: Chargers may not be welcome
After months of public-relations skirmishing and a few hours of actual discussions between team officials and elected leaders, the future of the San Diego Chargers seems more unsure than ever. The attorney for the Spanos family, which owns the team
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Sodomite Suppression Act shut down by CA Superior Court
On Tuesday, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Raymond M. Cadei ruled to prevent the Sodomite Suppression Act from moving forward in the initiative process. State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who first filed an action for declaratory relief, is no longer
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New reports show CA is sinking
As use of California’s groundwater supply reaches an all-time high, the state’s drought-induced sinking has put California land at historic lows, with little to no government attention. Nathan Halverson, a reporter with Reveal News from the Center for Investigative Reporting,
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CA Uber ruling prompts sharp, varied reaction
The ruling of the California Labor Commission last week that an Uber driver is an employee of the company — not a contractor — prompted national and international reaction from economists and other close observers of the growing “sharing” economy.
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CA Board of Education sides with teachers union on school funding
The State Board of Education, led by Gov. Jerry Brown’s longtime ally Michael Kirst (right), has decided to back up state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson’s interpretation of a key state education reform, the 2013 Local Control Funding Formula
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