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CA Senate OKs GOP drought declaration

“Fire, water and government know nothing of mercy,” runs an Albanian proverb. So far in 2014, California has been wracked by merciless firestorms and severe drought even before the driest days of summer. And members of both political parties have

Pension costs burden CA budget

James Poulos May 19, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown still hasn’t gotten his state’s budget problems beat. A high-profile new report showed California still faces massive liabilities extending far into the future. The study, released by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, tallied over $340 billion in debts, deferred payment and other

Feinstein attacks environmentalists on drought

Wayne Lusvardi May 19, 2014

On May 15, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., didn’t pull any punches about her recent attempt to push her drought bill through Congress. She blasted environmentalists for having “never been helpful to me in producing good water policy. You can’t have a water

Amb. Bolton warns of Pacific challenges to the U.S.

John Seiler May 16, 2014

California and the United States as a whole need to get their act together to face the rising challenges posed by Russia, China, North Korea and other countries. That was what former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said

Top CA GOP senator backs bilingual ed

James Poulos May 16, 2014

A notable Golden State Republican just made a U-turn on 16 years of education policy: Sens. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar. He jointed majority Democrats in a vote of the California Senate Education Committee to recommended adding an initiative to the 2016 ballot that would restore bilingual education to the

Donnelly backed redevelopment exemption

John May 15, 2014

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, who routinely campaigns on a platform of getting government out of the way, is struggling to explain his past support for redevelopment agencies. “Let’s get more people working, let’s not assault RDAs,” Donnelly said in

Will Huy Fong end up in Texas?

Tori Richards May 14, 2014

When David Tran fled Vietnam in 1978, he left his possessions behind and boarded the dilapidated freighter Huey Fong bound for Hong Kong. His fare was approximately $11,500 in today’s dollars, money that was split between the Vietnamese government

CA joins national gun standoff

James Poulos May 14, 2014

It’s a gun standoff like in a Quentin Tarantino movie — barrels pointed but nothing resolved for now. That’s why gun law in California and the rest of America won’t be standardized anytime soon. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take

Brown submits May Revise budget

Wayne Lusvardi May 14, 2014

Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown submitted the May Revision of his 2014-15 budget proposal with a mixture of line-item revisions. Most were budges that only moved the budget slightly. The fiscal year begins July 1. Over his January budget proposal, Brown increased the

19 CA members of Congress take pensions

John May 13, 2014

Former San Diego city councilman and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, who brought comprehensive pension reform to San Diego, is taking his fight to Capitol Hill. A new report published by the GOP congressional candidate identified 102 members of Congress that