Breaking News
Back to homepage
Donnelly aide works with unions vs. GOP candidates
A top aide to a Republican candidate for governor is working with public employee unions to defeat Republican candidates in local elections. Asher Burke, who assists Assemblyman Tim Donnelly’s gubernatorial campaign with “social media and online creative,” is also a
Read More
AB2170 could boost local taxes
A majority of Californians would rather have lower taxes and fewer government services than higher taxes and more government services, according to a recent Field poll. But the drive for higher taxes and more government services continues unabated in
Read More
Will Beverly Hills ban fracking black gold?
Come and listen to a story about a city named Beverly Hills and its bubblin’ crude. “The Beverly Hillbillies” still plays on TV in reruns, providing laughs about the Clampetts from Tennessee who strike it rich in oil on
Read More
Supreme Court allows L.A. County storm tax
On May 5, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear another appeal in a case mandating tax increases to pay for stopping and cleaning up polluted storm water. The L.A. County Supervisors have been playing hot potato with the highly unpopular
Read More
SF splits over CleanPowerSF co-op
San Francisco is suffering from a split personality when it comes to establishing CleanPowerSF, an electricity buyers’ club approved by the city’s Public Utilities Commission in 2010 to replace the monopoly Pacific Gas & Electric utility. Such buyers’ cooperatives are authorized
Read More
CA cities gain tool to chop retirement benefits
A cliche in government circles is that there is no “magic bullet” available to address many big, difficult problems. But thanks to a recent action by the California Supreme Court, many local governments now do have a “magic bullet” to
Read More
Lawsuit challenges chemical safety regs
California’s ongoing battle over new regulations has an interesting twist: a chemical company is asking a judge to keep in place an older tougher standard that’s been weakened by state regulators. For nearly four decades, furniture manufacturers have been required
Read More
CA Dems seek new corporate tax
A new bill would hike taxes on corporations with the biggest spread in paid wages. The legislation, Senate Bill 1372, was recently introduced by state Sens. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, and Loni Hancock, D-Oakland. It passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee late
Read More
Taxpayers win Fresno rate hike court ruling
A group of taxpayers battling the City of Fresno has won a critical legal victory in their fight to get a referendum of the city’s water rate increases on the November ballot. On April 28, Superior Court Judge M. Bruce
Read More
CA lawmakers look to pull plug on NSA snooping
Big Brother might have to close his eyes. A new bipartisan bill would prohibit California’s cooperation with warrantless snooping by the National Security Agency. Senate Bill 828 is by state Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Redondo Beach. Invoking the Bill of Rights’ Fourth
Read More