50 years after the Berkeley Free Speech Movement

It’s been 50 years today since Mario Savio gave his “put your bodies upon the gears” speech at the University of California, Berkeley, the best remembered part of the Free Speech Movement. He attacked the university administration for running the school like

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Moorlach to seek O.C. state Senate seat

Termed-out Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach — who until recently seemed to be preparing for an exit from active politics — has decided to run for the 37th State Senate District. Moorlach, who will be 59 on Dec. 21, is

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Congress switches to dynamic scoring

This should have happened the last time Republicans took over all of Congress, in 1995. The new GOP majority is switching budget calculations to “dynamic scoring.” The L.A. Times reported: For years, leading GOP lawmakers have wanted to change the

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State estimates on cost of new lighting rules far too low

It looks like California business interests have yet another example of state bureaucrats downplaying or ignoring the cost of new regulations. The Voice of San Diego has a story that seems likely to end up producing headlines around the state.

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Protesters reject UC tuition hike

California witnessed protests not just against the grand-jury verdict in the Ferguson, Mo. situation. Students here also are protesting the proposed hike in tuition at the University of California advanced by President Janet Napolitano. Reported the Times: In Berkeley, scores of

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Elected CA Dems duck issue of police treatment of minorities

As protests in Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego have shown, there are many Californians who are upset about what happened in Ferguson, Mo., with the police killing of an unarmed African-American youth. They’re also much more broadly concerned about

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Gov. Brown thinks long with young CA high-court picks

Jerry Brown will be 80 when his fourth and final term as governor ends in 2018. But it’s plain that he hopes to leave a mark on California life for 40 years after he’s gone — not with the bullet

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Why does CA unemployment remain so high?

Silicon Valley and other areas of coastal California are doing well — assuming you can afford to live there. But the state economy as a whole remains stagnant, with unemployment stuck at 7.3 percent for October, the same as the

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Bill would mandate double time on holidays

A new bill would mandate double-time pay for some holidays. The Bee reported: Californians working through the holidays could get heftier paychecks under legislation that would mandate double pay for Thanksgiving and Christmas shifts. The legislation is by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez,

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For 2nd straight election, inattention leads to huge Assembly upset

In 2012, Republican officials were appalled at the incompetence of Lancaster City Councilman Ron Smith, a Republican who somehow managed to lose a safe Assembly seat to a Democrat with so much baggage he looked like a muni airport where

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