Investigation

Switch to almond farming hits water policy

Got almonds? California rice farmers are shifting to growing higher-priced almonds, whose acreage jumped by more than 50 percent last year, to offset the high price of water during the drought. But there will be many unforeseen consequences, especially as

Summary details high-speed rail problems

Kathy Hamilton August 6, 2014

As construction is going forward, now would be a good time to clear the air a little and summarize California’s high-speed rail project. And why not with a little humor? This month the Santa Clarita Valley Signal published a tongue-in-cheek editorial

Can CA be 100% clean energy by 2050?

Wayne Lusvardi August 4, 2014

Can California be oil-free by 2050, just 36 years from now? Yes, according to Mark Jacobson of Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy. He says California can be oil free by 2050 with a quadruple redundant energy system of thousands of

Bill would mandate employee poverty data

Dave Roberts August 1, 2014

A bill making its way through the state Legislature seeks to publicly “shame” California businesses that employ a large number of workers who also receive public assistance benefits. That’s the warning from the California Chamber of Commerce in a press

Fresno votes against high-speed rail project

Kathy Hamilton August 1, 2014

In a surprise this week, the Fresno County Supervisors’ voted, 3-2, to officially oppose California’s high-speed rail project. That reversed seven years of actively supporting the project. No one expects Fresno’s actions will stop the project. But the vote delivers

Does anyone cover the news in Sacramento?

Brian Calle July 31, 2014

California is perhaps the most significant state in the union both culturally and economically. One in every eight Americans lives here. In 2012, California’s GDP was $1.9 trillion — roughly the same size as that of Italy and Russia. If we

Consumer Watchdog criticized for ‘misleading’ report

John July 29, 2014

The shoe’s on the other foot for Consumer Watchdog (no connection to CalWatchdog.com). Routinely critical of state regulators for failing to protect consumers, the consumer advocacy group has been criticized by an independent oversight panel for presenting “incorrect” and “misleading” information to the public.

Geothermal mandate could drive up energy costs

Dave Roberts July 28, 2014

California residents and businesses could be paying an extra $400 million annually for electricity if a geothermal energy mandate bill making its way through the Legislature becomes law. Senate Bill 1139, by Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, would require

Will CA groundwater regulation bring shortages?

Wayne Lusvardi July 22, 2014

One area of California that largely has remained free of regulation is groundwater. Although state courts “adjudicate” groundwater rights and disputes, this longstanding system largely respects the private ownership of the water. Even the federal government mostly works within this

FTB spends 5 years, fails to collect $392

Dave Roberts July 16, 2014

California’s Franchise Tax Board spent thousands of dollars over five years in the futile pursuit of a Redondo Beach septuagenarian for $392. For more than half of that time, FTB staff lost the taxpayer’s records and didn’t inform him