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Ending Earmarks Saved CA Schools

SEPT. 19, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The prevailing public media perception is that raiding redevelopment agency funds in 2010 saved California’s public schools from devastating funding cutbacks. Actually, a little-known piece of legislation in 2009 saved the public schools in 2010

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GOP Split Over Pro-Redevelop Measure

SEPT. 17, 2010 By KATY GRIMES Proposition 22 appears to be a seething two-headed snake, with strong division between supporters and opponents, and cleverly worded, but confusing ballot language. According to Ballotpedia, language for the Proposition 22 was filed with

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Politely Heated Prop. 23 Debate

SEPT. 16, 2010 By KATY GRIMES It was the rich oil guys against the rich hedge fund manager today at the Proposition 23 debate sponsored by the Sacramento Press Club. At least that’s the way the two sides characterize the

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Water Keeps CA's Welfare State Liquid

SEPT. 14, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Book Review: Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions To Conserve Our Most Precious Resource (Palgrave, 2010). Mark Twain once wrote: “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt” using a malapropism on

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Prop. 25 Sparks Debate Over Tax Hikes

SEPT. 14, 2010 By KATY GRIMES A ballot initiative designed to make it easier for the Legislature to pass the annual budget has supporters and opponents up debating the actual intent of the initiative, as well as the ballot measure

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Is Real Cal Unemployment At 25%?

SEPT. 14, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Welcome to the desert of California jobs. Officially, California’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent for July, the latest month calculated. That’s bad enough. But the real number is twice as much: at least 25

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PUC Accused Of Not Regulating Enough

SEPT. 13, 2010 By KATY GRIMES The Public Utility Commission pledged to keep a watchful eye on the outcomes of telecommunication deregulation in the state, but has failed to do so, according to a recent, blistering report from the Senate,

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Demystifying the Prop. 23 battle

SEPT. 8, 2010 By KATY GRIMES Californians are faced with unusual issues every election cycle — this November is no different, with challenging “lifestyle” ballot initiatives to sort through. Proposition 23, “the California Jobs Initiative” is probably one of the

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GOP optimistic, even in Bay Area

SEPT. 7, 2010 By DAVE ROBERTS Last week’s candidates forum in Brentwood (the one near the Delta) was an opportunity to see the latest batch of Republican candidates undertaking one of the most quixotic challenges in politics: knocking off a

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Legislators debate tax reform

SEPT. 3, 2010 By KATY GRIMES The state is still operating without a budget, but not all the legislative budget discussions this week focused on that pressing problem. The Assembly’s Taxation and Revenue committee on Wednesday looked at the broader

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