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With old warnings unheeded, Oroville Dam problems threaten valley

SACRAMENTO – A Sacramento Bee story published Monday succinctly described the disaster unfolding at the nation’s tallest dam, where flaws in the Oroville Dam’s concrete spillway are forcing water onto the earthen emergency spillway. Threats of a spillway collapse

Extra electricity, but no price relief

James Poulos February 14, 2017

Fueled by a dated system that does not always respond to market incentives or pressure, costs and surpluses of energy have both grown in California, raising pointed questions about what residents should expect from rates and regulations alike. “California has a

California “donor state” status a political football

James Poulos February 13, 2017

Some Californians have long complained of their state’s status as a so-called “donor state” — one that sends more money to Washington than it receives. But as political tensions with the White House have heated up, and some federal funding

Scandal-shrouded CHP figure now Virginia police chief

Chris Reed February 10, 2017

Former California Highway Patrol Commissioner Mike Brown — a person of interest in several CHP scandals and mysteries — was installed Jan. 16 as police chief in Alexandria, Virginia, an affluent suburb of the nation’s capital. Brown, 61, resigned the

Wet winter upends California water politics

James Poulos February 8, 2017

Drought-busting levels of rain and snow have put pressure to lift emergency restrictions on usage, but California regulators declined to ease up on the longstanding curbs. “Amid the ongoing succession of storms, water managers up and down the state are urging regulators

Is lack of competition leading to costly electricity glut?

Steven Greenhut February 7, 2017

SACRAMENTO – A top California utility official once quipped that he was one of the few executives in the country who earned a profit merely by remodeling his office. He was referring to the way the state’s regulated utility system

California scrambles to pick up housing pace

James Poulos February 6, 2017

The rush is on to find a way to amp up available housing in California. Amid new reports claiming that housing has become unaffordable across the state, legislators, officials and activists have begun a rush for solutions. “In its first

Rising pension costs threaten California school funding

James Poulos February 3, 2017

In a shock critics had warned against, Golden State schools discovered that their nation’s largest pension system, CalPERS, was on track to force substantial budgetary cutbacks on core education spending. “Public schools around California are bracing for a crisis driven by

Pentagon may renew push to close some California bases

Chris Reed February 1, 2017

Squeezed by the 2011 budget sequester, the Pentagon is eager to launch the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process for the sixth time to close down thousands of facilities it says it no longer needs — freeing up billions of

California high court gives insurance commissioner vast new powers

Steven Greenhut January 31, 2017

SACRAMENTO – President Donald Trump’s spate of executive orders has jump-started a national debate about the wisdom of executive edicts, especially those that stray into the area of lawmaking. While presidential orders grab the spotlight, the issues of administrative overreach