Breaking News

Economist: Taxpayers may pay for $15 billion Delta tunnels

California taxpayers may be liable for picking up part of the $15 billion cost of the proposed Delta tunnels project, an economist warned at a legislative hearing last week. The project consists of two 40-foot diameter, 30-mile-long pipes transferring water

CA equal pay bill nears passage

James Poulos August 25, 2015

Without any significant opposition in Sacramento, a bill that would make California the toughest in the nation on gender-equitable pay is poised to clear its final vote in the Assembly and, with Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature, become law. Broad support

CA ‘anchor baby’ debate goes national

James Poulos August 25, 2015

Republican presidential candidates were drawn deeper into the immigration controversies centered on California, as Donald Trump’s leading opponents sought a way to blunt his apparent advantage among voters with his tough talk on birthright citizenship and deportation. The numbers game

University of California and stem cell agency highest paid state workers

John August 24, 2015

California taxpayers paid out big bucks to state workers in 2014. How much? More than the Gross Domestic Product of 100 countries, according to new data published by the State Controller’s office. In 2014, more than 650,000 state employees earned a total

GOP presidential hopefuls hit Brown back on climate

James Poulos August 23, 2015

After submitting a letter-length question to Republican candidates ahead of their first round of primary-season debates, Gov. Jerry Brown has received some responses. Heated rhetoric Pressing ahead with the environmental emphasis characterizing his final term in office, Brown asked the presidential

Cal State University system hikes fees to offset tuition freeze

Steve Miller August 22, 2015

What a difference five years makes. In 2010, the California State University system issued $352 million in revenue bonds. Earlier this month, it issued $1.1 billion of the same thing. The debt issuance is standard, generally considered to be part of the

Sacramento special session tackles heath care, infrastructure funding, etc.

James Poulos August 21, 2015

A series of clashes marked the two special legislative sessions tacked on this summer to address some of California’s more stubborn challenges. Adding to the controversy of potential tax increases designed to fund infrastructure and health care entitlements, some lawmakers seized the

San Jose scraps pension reform measure

James Poulos August 20, 2015

In a remarkable move, the city of San Jose walked back its high-profile Measure B scheme to reform its costly public pensions commitments. Striking a deal Losing police to other jurisdictions, Mayor Sam Liccardo faced “enormous pressure to reach a settlement,”

CA green jobs program disappoints

James Poulos August 20, 2015

Three years after California voters passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act, the tally for “green” jobs created by the measure has fallen far short of expectations, touching off another round of controversy about the costs and consequences of the Golden State’s environmental

CA wrestles with minimum wage domino effect

James Poulos August 19, 2015

Forging ahead with plans to take minimum wages to new highs, California’s San Francisco Bay Area has touched off tit-for-tat increases, deepening fears that the region’s high cost of living has become a business-killer. A growing dilemma “Berkeley’s City Council approved