Politics and Elections

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Fleeting hope for fiscal reform

Feb. 28, 2010 Anyone who thinks that gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman offers much hope for fixing the state’s structural fiscal mess should now wonder whether the billionaire former eBay executive might end up being nothing more than another Arnold Schwarzenegger

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State's Unions Win Another Court Battle

The state worker furlough situation is getting curiouser and curiouser. Yesterday Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that furloughed workers are entitled to back pay due to the furloughs, and ordered the state to “cease and desist the furlough

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Tough decisions

Heard this very interesting commentary by Sacramento Bee editorial page editor Stuart Leavenworth this morning on Capital Public Radio. Hooked to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent (and bizarre) statement that “the worst is over” as far as the state’s economic troubles

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Is pension reform dead?

Today Jon Ortiz of the Sacramento Bee reported that since neither Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger nor Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman will publicly support California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility‘s proposed pension reform initiative, the group will abandon efforts to get the

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Capitol field trip!

Feb. 24, 2010 Most people probably get the impression that I spend my days at the state Capitol, prowling the hallways for story leads. Actually I get over to the Capitol very little, but lately I’ve been visiting more often,

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Meg sticker sighted!

I just saw the first car bumper sticker of the 2010 election season. It read “Meg 2010” and was pasted on a Lincoln MKX SUV driving north on the 55 freeway in Costa Mesa, probably originating in Newport Beach just

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Shot in the dark

At 11 a.m. today Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Oxnard, will hold a press conference in the State Capitol’s Room 1190 announcing his new bill that would ban the use of lead shot in state wildlife areas. “The science is increasingly clear

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Arnold vs. Tea Partiers

Although he’s always had a sense of humor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nowadays is producing laughter in a different way: as an object of ridicule. Instead of laughing with him, we’re laughing at him. And it’s going to be that way

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Pete Tax Increaser Wilson backs Whitman

I knew a Schwarzenegger governorship would be a disaster in the summer of 2003, when his campaign during the recall was endorsed by ex-Gov. Pete “Tax Increaser” Wilson, and Arnold brought on board many Wilson cronies. Back then I dubbed

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We're thinking Meg's pleased…

In a time when everyone’s talking about what Attorney Jerry Brown hasn’t talked about (namely, when he’s going to announce his candidacy for governor), it’s nice to find something concerning what he actually is talking about. Check out this San

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