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Pulling Back CalPERS' Ethics Curtain

JAN. 7, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The Securities and Exchange Commission has exposed the self-righteous CalPERS, the California Public Employees Retirement System, as no longer the self-anointed ethical wizards of pension funds. L. Frank Baum wrote that when he started

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Valley Legislators Bring New Verve

JAN. 6, 2011 By KATY GRIMES It only took one brief legislative session before newly elected Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) asked, “Are the people of California ready for a part time legislature? And we should meet every two years. We

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Arnold Was The Machiavellian Governor

JAN. 5, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The media commentariat have tried to compare new California Gov. Jerry Brown with outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the kind of leader it takes to manage under different economic circumstances makes for a difficult

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Brown Sets State Up For Tax Vote

JAN. 4, 2011 By JOHN SEILER In his inaugural address Monday, new (and past) Gov. Jerry Brown spoke eloquently of past Californians, including his great-grandparents, who overcame tremendous obstacles to build our state: The people of California have not lost

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Brown’s Tough Talk For Tough Times

JAN. 4, 2011 By KATY GRIMES With many in the state worried that California is ungovernable, even more hope that the courage and sacrifice demonstrated by California’s residents enduring the state’s economic down turn, means a great deal to newly-elected

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Crime Hikes Don't Cause Prison Crowds

DEC. 31, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI and RICH McKONE We have all seen the TV videos of the overcrowded conditions in California’s prisons. But, do these visuals reflect reality or are they highly managed Hollywood stage sets? If I told

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There's Something About Mary

DEC. 30, 2010 By K. LLOYD BILLINGSLEY The Sacramento Bee is publishing an eight-part series on “Californians to watch in 2011.” The Dec. 28 profile of Mary Nichols by Rick Daysog fails to mention key reasons why Californians might want

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FPPC Investigates Ex-DMV Staff

DEC. 29, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO It’s always fun to watch one government agency investigate another agency. Or, recently departed agency personnel, as in this case, which popped up about two weeks ago. On Dec. 14, the state Fair Political

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New Year’s Water Bond Resolutions

DEC. 27, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Everyone has had the disappointing experience of opening up a Christmas time holiday gift and finding something entirely useless or even lacking sentimental value. So it may be with California’s five previous water bonds. Examining these

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Dems Prepping State For Tax Hikes

DEC. 22, 2010 By STEVEN GREENHUT As the year ends, let’s review where Californians stand with its busted budget. This piece was published in PublicSectorInc. California’s Democratic leaders would have you believe that our state’s budget has been cut to

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