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Budget Tax Rhetoric Ignores Jobs
JUNE 13, 2011 By JOHN SEILER The NBA season is over. But a full-court press is on by Gov. Jerry Brown and the tax-increase forces in the Legislature and government-employee unions to increase taxes $9 billion. In his video address
Read MoreCA Enviro Plan Channels Pol Pot
JUNE 8, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Remember Pol Pot, the Cambodian dictator and head of the Khmer Rouge? According to Wikipedia, “During his time in power, Pol Pot imposed a version of agrarian socialism, forcing urban dwellers to relocate to
Read MoreMcClintock: Water Actually 'Abundant'
JUNE 2, 2011 By JOHN SEILER The history of California practically is the history of water. So it’s not surprising that the recent history of the state involves a shift from government facilitating growth to government sharply restricting growth —
Read MoreCourt Decision Could Spur Prison Reform
MAY 23, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision mandating California state prison reductions must lead to long-needed reforms. The decision upheld a lower court ruling that from 38,000 to 46,000 must be released due to overcrowding that
Read MoreBerkeley's Reactionary Recyclers
MAY 18, 2011 By K. LLOYD BILLINGSLEY When cities outsource services to save money, they often take heat from workers. It’s different in Berkeley, where a revolutionary plan to “insource” services to the city drew the wrath of recycling reactionaries.
Read MoreMay Revise Blows $6.6 B Tax Windfall
MAY 16, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Call it Government Math. In his January budget proposal for fiscal 2011-12, Gov. Jerry Brown insisted on $12 billion in yearly tax increases to help close a $25 billion budget deficit. Today, in his
Read MoreCalifornia Water Cold War Heats Up
MAY 10, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Long gone are the hot wars of the 1920’s when Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s William Mulholland took over Mono County and Owens Lake with his own shotgun militia. And local farmers resisted the taking
Read MoreInflation Means California Default
APRIL 29, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI A March 24 Los Angeles Times-USC opinion poll indicated that 80 percent of likely California voters favored putting a cap on state spending. That is a remarkable statistic that didn’t make the original headline
Read MoreSacto's Ongoing Redevelopment Disaster
APRIL 19, 2011 By RICHARD TRAINOR Since its inception in 1953, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency has been driven by scandals, sweetheart deals for connected developers, cockeyed projects and ineptitude. In 1991, this reporter wrote the official history of
Read MoreGovt. Fights Citizens' Right to Know
APRIL 12, 2011 By TORI RICHARDS A recent appellate court decision could have far-reaching impact on whether citizens can successfully fight government agencies for documents under the California Public Records Act. Attorneys battling for public records only have one big hammer —
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