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Hyperloop test track to break CA ground

Elon Musk proposed it years ago. This January, he announced he’d enable teams to test it out on a track in Texas. But the first entrepreneur to ink a deal for a Hyperloop test track will bring the concept to life

Concerns raised over taxpayer disclosure bill

Dave Roberts June 6, 2015

A bill that recently passed the state Assembly would make it easier to disclose confidential tax information and harass businesses, warn Republican legislators. But Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, the author of Assembly Bill 567, asserts that his measure simply increases

CA assisted suicide bill advances

James Poulos June 5, 2015

With doctors’ groups divided, legislation that would authorize assisted suicide cleared a key hurdle in Sacramento, triggering a fresh round of controversy. Senate Bill 128, the so-called “End of Life Option Act,” was introduced earlier this year by state Sens. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and

CA Senate votes to hike smoking age

James Poulos June 5, 2015

Adding another bill to its reputation as a trend-setting Legislature, Sacramento has taken a big step toward raising the statewide smoking age to 21. By an overwhelming tally of 26 to 8, the state Senate voted to prohibit sales of

CA pension plans prompting tough tradeoffs

James Poulos June 4, 2015

Despite a sounder economic footing, California’s pensions problem has deepened. That was the conclusion drawn by analysts who warned that new accounting rules would shine a startling spotlight on practices long kept in the shadows. “The Governmental Accounting Standards Board is implementing new

Lawmakers work with industry to improve ride-sharing

John June 3, 2015

State lawmakers have shelved a plan to adopt new regulations on the state’s burgeoning ride-sharing industry in favor of industry-backed measures that make it easier for customers to safely share a ride. Last Thursday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee held in

SCOTUS could shake CA’s redistricting schemes

James Poulos June 3, 2015

A pair of high-profile cases taken up by the Supreme Court could invalidate California’s redistricting system, scrapping citizen-led efforts to free it up from partisan wrangling. A tale of two controversies “The fate of the citizen redistricting commission hangs most directly in the

Covered CA struggles to meet expectations

James Poulos June 2, 2015

“This issue of making health care affordable is not easy.” It probably wasn’t what Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, hoped to announce in the exchange’s second year. But the remarks came on the heels of a new survey

Assembly passes grocery employment mandate

Dave Roberts June 2, 2015

If you purchase a grocery store that is going out of business because its employees have not provided good customer service and sanitary conditions, should you be required to hire those same employees? The answer is yes, according to Assembly

Uneven CA water cuts prompt public outcry

James Poulos June 1, 2015

A cascade of new water regulations has brought the drought home to millions of residents across California, cutting into their indoor and outdoor use and, often, prompting an outcry. But the impact of the regulations, handed down at different levels of government,