Inside Government

Good news for state: Programmers found for antiquated computers

One of the strangest stories out of Sacramento in recent years has to do with state Controller John Chiang's repeated warnings that it would be difficult to implement furloughs of state workers because of the antiquated computer system used to

Brown: No teachers' pension fix until after November election

Chris Reed January 14, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown has a basic problem when it comes to the California State Teachers' Retirement System: the most powerful forces in state politics oppose the standard fix for an underfunded pension system, even if it is now enshrined in

Stunning verdict in Fullerton case: Rodney King, the sequel

Chris Reed January 14, 2014

I was as stunned by a verdict Monday afternoon as I have been my whole life. An Orange County jury cleared police officers of all charges in the beating death of homeless Fullerton resident Kelly Thomas. It's impossible not to see

Schools chief already wants to extend Prop. 30 taxes

Katy Grimes January 13, 2014

Only one year into Proposition 30’s five-year life, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has already called for an extension of the 2012 ballot initiative. Set to expire in 2018, it was sold to voters as a temporary tax.

$U.S. fracking changes global balance of power; can’t CA join fun?$

U.S. fracking changes global balance of power; can’t CA join fun?

Chris Reed January 12, 2014

Anti-fracking forces are gearing up in California, aided by our pathetic state media, which never mention that the Obama administration considers hydraulic fracturing to access natural gas and oil reserves to be just another heavy industry that can be made

Bullet train fans learn CA enviros’ clout trumps building, trades unions

Chris Reed January 11, 2014

A few years ago, I began to think about how California’s state government operated in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a famous 1943 paper about how humans prioritize what’s important in their lives, starting with the basics — the

Brown still on loony, increasingly lonely bullet-train bandwagon

Chris Reed January 10, 2014

Cal Watchdog managing editor John Seiler and I were among the pundits who got a telephone budget briefing from Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday afternoon. I was disappointed but unsurprised to hear that the governor is still 1,000 percent on

How government really works

John Seiler January 9, 2014

Politicians and government bureaucrats always paint a wonderful picture of how great their policies and programs will work. Just give them more money, and nirvana will arrive. But sometimes, the government functionaries tell us what really goes on. Here's former

Sen. Anderson charges: CA profits on backs of Madoff victims

Katy Grimes January 9, 2014

SACRAMENTO — Bernie Madoff may be in prison, but he’s still ripping people off — this time aided by the government of the state of California. So charged state Sen. Joel Anderson, R-San Diego, at a press conference and committee hearing

CA lawmakers back in the saddle again

Katy Grimes January 8, 2014

SACRAMENTO — After a nice long winter's rest, the California Legislature is back in the saddle again. And they hit the ground running, immediately bringing back many bills that did not pass in 2013. Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem