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Gavin Newsom transforms Lt. Governor’s post

A lieutenant governor’s only job, the old joke goes, is to wake up every morning and check the governor’s pulse. The position has been considered so pointless that even Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for eliminating the post in 2012.

CA’s nuclear power in doubt

James Poulos December 1, 2015

Despite calls for a resurgence in nuclear power, California could soon shutter its effort to keep the alternative energy going. PG&E’s Diablo Canyon plant, the state’s last, has wound up in the crosshairs. As the Associated Press reported, “the company

State Community College accreditor determined unfit after five decades

Steve Miller November 30, 2015

In deciding last week to remove the body that accredits community colleges in California, state commissioners erased five decades of authority and opened the door to a new oversight body. The move to get a new accreditation plan in place

Tough negotiations prompt UC enrollment to rise

James Poulos November 30, 2015

The dust has settled from Gov. Jerry Brown’s protracted budget negotiations with University of California president Janet Napolitano — to the benefit of 10,000 additional students greenlit for the UC system by the 2018-2019 school year. Meeting in San Francisco, the UC

Water woes bring uneven fines and regulations

James Poulos November 29, 2015

California’s ongoing water crisis promised to extend the controversy over fines and regulations well into the next year — if not beyond. While some areas suffer, others flourish, and fines — in some instances aggressively applied — have been meted

Google jumps into CA housing market

James Poulos November 29, 2015

Google has broken into the real estate industry. Convinced that a big market still exists for bargain-seekers, the tech giant launched a mortgage calculator and recently debuted a new mortgage comparison feature. “Google predicted that nearly one in two borrowers still don’t

Restive Democrats cautioned on budget surplus

James Poulos November 28, 2015

A new report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office prepared the ground for fresh political combat in Sacramento over what to do with California’s budgetary surplus. Although “much of the predicted surpluses” could be skimmed off “for serious emergencies,” the San Francisco Chronicle

CA utilities commission plays dangerous game with power grid security

James Poulos November 28, 2015

The latest tit-for-tat between lawmakers and the California Public Utilities Commission has brought back bad memories of an in-state — and unsolved — national security threat. The tiff began when the CPUC “hired outside lawyers as federal and state investigators

CA Congressional delegation divided on refugees as crisis spikes

James Poulos November 27, 2015

Key Democrats in California’s Congressional delegation broke with President Obama on refugee policy, handing Congressional Republicans a veto-proof majority vote against him. “An Obama administration push urging lawmakers to oppose legislation that would effectively halt a program for refugees from Syria and Iraq failed

Sharp divides strain CA on immigration

James Poulos November 25, 2015

Pronounced differences around the issues of legal and illegal immigration have split voters, politicians, donors and immigrants themselves — from matters of funding and poverty to jobs and security. By the numbers California has become a flashpoint for immigration politics