Blog

Ships still at sea from dock strike

Anyone along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange County still can see the giant cargo ships stranded by the dock strike — which was resolved last month. The ships normally slip in and out of Los Angeles-Long Beach harbors and

Audio: How school choice can woo crossover and swing voters

CalWatchdog Staff March 18, 2015

CalWatchdog.com Editor-in-Chief Brian Calle also is Senior Fellow at the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, named after Nobel Economics Laureate Milton Friedman, who originated the idea of school vouchers. In this audio interview with Bill Frezza of the Competitive Enterprise

Update: Moorlach wins, Glazer advances to run-off for CA Senate

John Seiler March 17, 2015

Update: 8 am, March 18, 2015: With 100 percent of the precincts in, according to the Secretary of State, John Moorlach won outright in Senate District 37, with 51.4 percent of the vote. In Senate District 7, the outcome continued

Threat to vulnerable CA House Democrat comes, seemingly goes

Chris Reed March 17, 2015

Rep. Scott Peters, D-La Jolla, represents a wealthy district ranging from Coronado to Carmel Valley to rural estates in Rancho Bernardo and Poway. The Duke and New York University law school graduate narrowly beat San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio, a

Assembly Republican leader tries to streamline the Legislature

John Seiler March 16, 2015

Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor in the 19th Century, never visited California. But he could have had the state Legislature in mind when he said, “Laws are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made.”

FPPC staff backs decreased disclosure

Chris Reed March 15, 2015

The Internet has made quick, easy disclosure of information the norm in news and social media. This has led reformers to call for a new era in campaign finance in which all political donations are disclosed in almost real time.

Electric cars most popular in CA

John Seiler March 15, 2015

They’re still only a fraction of car sales. But all those Teslas and Leafs you see on the road are not an illusion. According to ChargePoint.com, of the top four cities in the country for electric cars, three are in California: The

CA gas prices could start falling

John Seiler March 14, 2015

Some good news: Gas prices could start falling. Six weeks ago gasoline in California averaged about $2.25 a gallon, the lowest price in years. Then prices zoomed up a buck and more. Today, according to GasBuddy.com, the average price in

Lawsuit over Harvard admissions has CA overtones

Chris Reed March 14, 2015

Harvard University is facing a well-financed lawsuit over its admissions practices, with plaintiffs arguing that the nation’s oldest, richest and most admired college enforces an anti-Asian bias every bit as real as the anti-Jewish bias seen in Cambridge and at

Job cuts precede Seattle minimum-wage hike

John Seiler March 13, 2015

In the past couple of years, many states and localities have been increasing minimum wages. It’s part of the American federalist system in which the 50 states are the “crucibles of democracy,” trying different things to see what happens. Seattle’s