Investigation
Back to homepageBullet Train Costs Exploding
DEC. 22, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO Trying to pin down an actual, quantifiable, explainable cost estimate for the 800-mile-long proposed high-speed rail system is one of the great games of covering the project. Going back even just two years, a
Read MoreDoes Prop 25 Change Anything?
DEC. 17, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO The promise of Proposition 25 was nothing short of a revolution in how California lawmakers negotiate and approve state budgets. “Real people suffer when legislators play games with the budget,” stated the official argument
Read MoreRail: Pork Barrel Land Scam
DEC. 12, 2010 By RICHARD TRAINOR When the bond initiative to build a peripheral canal fell apart this past June it might also have signaled the end of the line for the $45 billion high-speed train proposal. This is another
Read MoreCA: State Of Secrecy
DEC. 7, 2010 By TORI RICHARDS While Gov. Jerry Brown breezed into office on a platform of frugality and openness, California’s government has shown a mandate of secrecy that could have no end in sight. In fact, First Amendment experts
Read MoreCalifornia's New Depression
DEC. 3, 2010 By JOHN SEILER As California approaches a new year, with a new governor and other statewide officers, it’s worth reviewing what I call “California economic realities.” These are the factors which, at all levels, affect the state’s
Read MoreFast Rail's Iffy Ridership Claims
DE C. 1, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO In one of the many examples of inefficiency surrounding the proposed California High-Speed Rail system, there are currently two active lawsuits, largely consisting of the same parties and many of the same issues,
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Reviewing Arnold's Disaster
NOV. 28, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger keeps insisting he’s not a lame duck, he is. As he leaves office, the best biography of him so far has come out, “The Governator: From Muscle Beach to His
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Thanksgiving for California
Thank you for your wine, California, Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits. — “Sweet Virginia,” by The Rolling Stones NOV. 23, 2010 By JOHN SEILER California has a lot of problems, with the budget, unemployment and all. But
Read MoreTexas Beats California on Economy
NOV. 18, 2010 By JOHN SEILER In the competition between America’s two most populous states, California has two recent victories over Texas. In the World Series, the San Francisco Giants stomped on the Texas Rangers. And on election day, Nov.
Read MoreRail Firms Lack Accountability
NOV. 15, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO The California High-Speed Rail Authority really loves its contractors. It easily employs more than a hundred of them, though the rail authority doesn’t seem to know that. In fact, the authority literally has no
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