Grizzly Bear Project seeks property tax increases

There could be a property tax increase in your future — if the Grizzly Bear Project gets its way. Project head Anthony York is a veteran reporter who has “covered California politics for close to 20 years. Before launching the

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Despite strong profits, Farmer Bros. gives up on CA

A highly profitable coffee distribution and production company with deep roots in Los Angeles County and a national clientele is closing its primary Los Angeles facility and preparing to move to Texas or one of several states promising lower taxes,

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Will Nunez scandal hurt Villaraigosa Senate run?

It’s looking like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is running for the U.S. Senate seat now open with Sen. Barbara Boxer’s impending retirement. He’s “very, very close to running,” close friend Fabian Nunez told the Los Angeles Times. “There’s still a

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The unexpected check on an Indian casino free-for-all

When state voters approved Proposition 1A in 2000 — the measure paving the way for the broad expansion of Indian casinos in California — opponents warned that once casinos were a big money generator, there would be a free-for-all driven

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Why doesn’t GOP follow the Gipper, 104 today?

Today is Ronald Reagan’s 104th birthday. He died in 2004 at age 93. He has become a beloved figure for most Americans, even Democrats, much as President John F. Kennedy has for different reasons, including for Republicans. JFK is remembered

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Upbeat S&P report on CA also has CalSTRS warning

The recent Standard & Poor’s report upgrading California’s credit rating prompted headlines not just in the Golden State but in Washington and on Wall Street, where it was depicted as part of Gov. Jerry Brown’s narrative of the state’s continuing

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CA spends more than other states

How does California government spending, state and local, compare to that of other states? On average, it’s more. That’s according to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau, “State Government Finances Summary: 2013. Economy-Wide Statistics Briefs: Public Sector.” According to

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Direct democracy abuses: Both parties have dirty hands

Over the past 14 months, San Diego voters have repudiated the decisions of the Democratic majority on the City Council three times. The most influential Democrat on the council thinks he knows why: San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria will

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Ex-Brown adviser: ‘powerful interests’ run state

Most Californians sense that special interests, not voters, run the state. That’s why voter turnout hit record lows last November. And it’s why the Legislature scores so low on opinion polls.  A PPIC survey last year found only 36 percent

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School bond problems go far beyond LAUSD purchase of iPads

Gov. Jerry Brown’s skepticism about state assistance for local school districts’ construction projects appears to be primarily based on an intense disdain for adding more billions to what he likes to call the state’s “wall of debt.” But a counter

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