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Legislature launches legislation frenzy
The California State Legislature, in a frenzy before recessing, considered about 400 bills in just four days this week. As CalWatchdog.com readers know, lawmakers weighed hugely impactful legislation. Among the most notable legislation: Gov. Jerry Brown’s prison plan; several gun
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CA minimum-wage hike: Expect 'very large' effect on low-wage jobs
Gov. Jerry Brown's signalling that he'll approve a bill to raise in two steps the minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10 an hour has prompted the usual dumb coverage of minimum wage increases, which notes that business groups/Republicans
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Trust Act headed to Gov. Brown's desk
An amended version of the Trust Act, a law that would dramatically alter the relationship between local and federal immigration enforcement in California, passed the State Assembly Tuesday 48-25. Gov. Jerry Brown will now consider signing the bill into law,
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Why Arnold owes U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars (non-bullet train edition)
Two interesting pieces published recently make a strong case that government can be made far more efficient if we actually tried empirically to evaluate what worked and what didn't. On the Zocalo Public Square website, Pepperdine academic Pete Peterson takes
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Audit uncovers embers in Cal Fire slush fund
A new state audit shows that in 2005 a secret, $3.66 million off-the-books account was established by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Wildlife Fire Investigation Training and Equipment Fund, a private, nonprofit account, was filled through
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A dramatic illustration of teacher unions’ grip on Sacramento
The Obama administration has had enough of the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers and how they use their clout to undercut education reform. “Hours before a key vote in the Legislature, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
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Dueling prison plans: Brown vs. Steinberg
SACRAMENTO — California continues to grapple with a 2009 federal court order requiring reductions in prison overcrowding. Two plans are before the Legislature: One by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento; the second by Gov. Jerry Brown. On Wednesday,
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Why CA carbon auction and overall AB 32 approach are doomed
This month marks the seventh anniversary of Arnold Schwarzenegger signing AB 32 amid an orgy of self-congratulation over this alleged environmental landmark. Ever since then, I’ve written regularly about the basic flaw of AB 32: reducing the emissions believed to
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Bill would allow AWOL state employees to keep jobs
SACRAMENTO — Imagine you miss work for five consecutive days and don’t call your supervisor to explain why. You probably wouldn’t have a job for very long. But employment conditions in state government are very different, and about to get
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Report: CalVet 'must do better' to help veterans
Many California military veterans are hurting. blackberry spy software In its recently released report, “An Agenda for Veterans: The State’s Turn to Serve,” the bi-partisan Little Hoover Commission critiques the California Department of Veterans Affairs for its “inconsistent leadership” and
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