Politics and Elections

GOP’s Texas-California connection grows

If present trends continue, California Republicans could set up a virtual government-in-exile in Texas. As is now well known, outmigration from California has reached historic highs. Although just 2.6 percent of the large Texas population is now Californian in origin, Texas has received the largest number

Prop. 26 shows teeth, kills San Diego hotel tax hike

Chris Reed August 7, 2014

One of the few recent big triumphs of the small-government, low-tax movement in California came in 2010, when state voters approved Proposition 26. The constitutional amendment cleared up loopholes that allowed governing bodies to pass tax hikes on simple majority

Kashkari debunks ‘California Comeback’

John July 31, 2014

By spending a week down and out in Fresno, Neel Kashkari has made the state’s sky-high poverty rate a central issue in the governor’s race, and in the process, debunked Gov. Jerry Brown’s myth of a “California Comeback.” Last week, the Republican gubernatorial

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

Schools case fuels Kashkari campaign

James Poulos July 30, 2014

The historic Vergara school liberty ruling has handed a campaign issue to Neel Kashkari, Republican candidate for California Governor. In the ruling, as described by education reformer and former state Sen. Gloria Romero, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M.

Pot politics could inhale controller’s race

James Poulos July 29, 2014

The California Republican party has a lot riding on Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin. She’s the only prominent Republican who carried a strong lead into the recent “jungle” primary elections for statewide office, under which the top two candidates, regardless of

Complaint alleges people with disabilities barred from voting

John July 28, 2014

A complaint filed earlier this month with the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that thousands of Americans with disabilities have been illegally deprived of their right to vote. The perpetrator of this injustice: judges. The complaint, which was filed by the

Buzz builds for Brown ’16

James Poulos July 24, 2014

Is the fourth time the charm for Gov. Jerry Brown’s presidential aspirations? The question may well have more to do with politics at the national level than the state level. Believe it or not, a fresh round of chatter and interest is

‘Six Californias’ will go before voters

James Poulos July 23, 2014

Its debut on a California ballot might still be two years away. But this month, supporters successfully verified the quixotic, Silicon Valley-powered Six Californias initiative obtained the necessary signatures to receive an up or down vote. As the Los Angeles Times reported,

Controller 2014: 7 reasons why John Perez should quit while he’s behind

John July 15, 2014

The “sunk cost fallacy” — a self-destructive quirk of human behavior — explains why we persist in losing. We hold onto loser stocks, attend concerts we’d rather skip and demand recounts of decided elections. The sunk cost fallacy is alive and