Blog

Looks like Gov. Brown isn’t running for president

With Gov. Jerry Brown, you never really know. But it looks like he really isn’t running for president. Of course, in his three charges at the Oval Office — in 1976, 1980 and 1992 — he started late, surged to

CA boosts film subsidies while Michigan could cut them

John Seiler March 24, 2015

Last September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $330 million film subsidy bill to help Hollywood fend off subsidies from other states. He said, “Today, we remind the world that the Golden State is the home of the silver screen. This bill

Study: Vast CA solar power possible using existing infrastructure

Chris Reed March 24, 2015

A new study for Nature Climate Central journal says California could have abundant solar power to meet all of its needs — and without building huge fields of solar arrays like the Tonopah facility by Interstate 15 near the Nevada

Brian Calle interviews Scott Walker

CalWatchdog Staff March 23, 2015

Here’s the full list of the videos of CalWatchdog.com Editor-in-Chief Brian Calle’s interviews with Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a leading Republican candidate for president. They ran individually last week. Video 1: Scott Walker on right-to-work and Obama criticism. Video 2: Scott

Big twist in San Diego stadium saga

Chris Reed March 22, 2015

A stadium task force named by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has been holding a rapid-fire series of meetings with football, development and finance officials about the challenge facing California’s second-largest city in keeping the Chargers from bolting town for

Auditor scolds state on state computer disasters

John Seiler March 22, 2015

A longtime theme of CalWatchdog.com has been the numerous computer disasters of the California government, in juxtaposition to the computer and Internet revolutions that have taken place in the state. State Auditor Elaine M. Howle just released a comprehensive report scolding

LAO: CA housing costs likely to keep ‘rapidly rising’

Chris Reed March 21, 2015

The state Legislative Analyst Office’s new report on the high cost of housing in California got some coverage around the state, with a primary focus being its call for 100,000 additional housing units being built a year. The LAO says

CA officials can use private email

John Seiler March 21, 2015

Hillary Clinton has made headlines in recent weeks for using private email for official U.S. government business when she was secretary of state. Federal law mandates that all such business be conduced on public email systems that are archived. The

VIDEO: Napolitano won’t take ‘crap’ from students

John Seiler March 19, 2015

University of California President Janet Napolitano apparently didn’t realize the mic was on. Talking to to Board of Regents Chairman Bruce Varner about student-protest chants, she said, “Let’s just break. Let’s go, let’s go. We don’t have to listen to this crap.”

Courts: Maybe public pensions can be cut

John Seiler March 19, 2015

One theme CalWatchdog.com has covered over the years is that public pension programs are not sacrosanct. Although the general interpretation of the California Constitution is that the pensions must be paid — no matter what — if there’s no money,