Inside Government

Some crucial context on Brown’s new energy policy and AB 32

Gov. Jerry Brown’s decision to seek to extend the state of California’s push against global warming to 2030 with a further embrace of costlier-but-cleaner energy got a positive response from many environmental groups and journalists. The idea that California would

State in use-it-or-lose-it mode with $4B in bullet-train funds

Chris Reed January 10, 2015

The California bullet-train project — stalled for years by legal fights over land acquisition and the state’s business plan, uneven progress in planning and Gov. Jerry Brown’s abrupt downsizing of the scale of the project in 2013 — had its symbolic

New category of CA employees tries to sandbag pension fixes

Chris Reed January 5, 2015

When elected officials participate even very indirectly in a process that improves their compensation, the public goes wild. It’s powerful attack-ad fodder for candidates seeking to unseat such politicians. But when powerful bureaucrats engage in such in a maneuver —

$Report may force CA media to admit Obama backs fracking safety$

Report may force CA media to admit Obama backs fracking safety

Chris Reed January 4, 2015

As Cal Watchdog has repeatedly noted over the past two years, the California print media — with the exception of the U-T San Diego editorial page (my edits) and a San Francisco Chronicle reporter — never note the Obama administration’s

CHP’s probe of CalFire yielded leads — unlike DA’s probe of CHP

Chris Reed January 3, 2015

The reports that suggest the California Highway Patrol did a solid job in handling the investigation of a prostitution scandal at CalFire’s training acadmy in Ione have a rich subtext. CHP gathered enough strong evidence that 16 CalFire employees were

Harsh impact of CalSTRS bailout begins to emerge

Chris Reed January 2, 2015

The deal struck in spring 2014 to bail out the underfunded California State Teachers’ Retirement System will lead school districts, the state and teachers to increase their annual contributions to CalSTRS from $5.9 billion in 2014 to at least $10.9

CA initiative reform: Lawmakers ignore the elephant in the room

Chris Reed January 1, 2015

The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported on initiative reforms that take effect today. After more than a century in California’s political spotlight, the state’s initiative process will be getting a major revise next year. Even more surprising, both Democrats and

CA Common Cause: State lawmakers accepted $844,000 in gifts in 2013

John December 29, 2014

Let the good times roll! California lawmakers accepted $844,000 in gifts in 2013 — the majority of which came from special interest groups that routinely lobby the state Legislature. According to a new report released by the good-government group California Common Cause, gifts

CARB draws sharp fire on AB 32 — from the left

Chris Reed December 29, 2014

David Roberts — a Grist.org journalist who has an easy command of energy issues that makes his NRDC-style environmentalism easier to take — has written a sharp piece about AB 32. Roberts details what he calls an “avoidable mess” in the

CA public schools can’t charge students for parking

Chris Reed December 28, 2014

San Diego tech entrepreneur Michael Robertson is also a libertarian civic activist challenging government nuttiness and illegality. In a public Google Docs file, he explained how to fight a petty abuse of power used in some school districts to free