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SCOTUS sides with CA school banning American flag shirt

After five years of controversy and litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand one of the most controversial rulings to come out of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Known for how often it is overturned in the higher court,

Bill could halt Airbnb, vacation rentals in some CA cities

John March 31, 2015

Travel has never been easier or more affordable — thanks to the proliferation of online accommodation marketplaces. Whether you’re planning a weekend trip to Napa Valley or the family’s spring getaway to Disneyland, non-traditional accommodation services, such as Airbnb, provide travelers with a range of

Hoover analyst: CA already met 50% renewable goal

Wayne Lusvardi March 30, 2015

Eureka! California already surpassed Gov. Jerry Brown’s 50 percent goal for renewable energy power by 2030. It did so, in fact, in 2011. That’s the conclusion of an article in the March-April issue of Eureka, a new periodical by the Hoover

Franchise Tax Board continues to pursue microchip inventor

James Poulos March 30, 2015

The microchip powers the California, American and world economies. But the man who officially invented the chip, Gilbert Hyatt, just can’t shake the Golden State’s taxman, even after he moved to Nevada. Reported the Sacramento Bee, “Hyatt, who moved from Southern California to

Committee passes double holiday pay bill

Dave Roberts March 30, 2015

A bill requiring California businesses to provide double pay for employees working on Thanksgiving and Christmas recently passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, despite concerns that it will further hurt the state’s business climate and may be unconstitutional. Assemblywoman

Exaggerations make CA drought seem worse than it is

James Poulos March 28, 2015

Faced with fears of a permanent climate crisis, commentators monitoring California’s drought have been inadvertently led to spread erroneous claims about its severity. Although the state’s thirst for water has reached crisis levels, careful observers have made some gains in pointing out some of the

Studies show tradeoffs on health vs. environment

Wayne Lusvardi March 27, 2015

Two new studies show cleaning the environment to improve health is about tradeoffs. One study is on clean-air regulations, the other on diesel truck exhausts. The studies give policymakers more information on the choices they will be making. The first

CA campaign reporting threshold could double

John March 27, 2015

It could soon be harder to follow the money in California politics. A state lawmaker wants to double the reporting threshold for political campaigns in California — allowing major donors to contribute more money and campaigns to spend more money

Deal to send rice water to SoCal could dry up before summer

Wayne Lusvardi March 26, 2015

The Sacramento Bee recently reported it’s a done deal to transfer water from Central Valley rice farmers to Southern California. The transfer would alleviate curtailments of urban water allocations. But if California does not provide the full allocation to the owners

CA’s automated cars ready to roll

James Poulos March 26, 2015

With remarkable speed, California’s top technologists have reached a breakthrough point in their development of automated cars. Automated vehicles from seven companies have hit Golden State freeways, with more to come. Dramatizing the developments, one firm’s team of engineers and scientists