Regulations

SoCal carpool lanes could open up

If you have traveled in Northern California or the East Coast of the USA lately, you know they do carpool lanes differently. After rush hour, the lanes are opened to anybody, helping traffic flow more easily — and thus actually

AG Harris challenges reversal of CA foie gras ban

James Poulos February 9, 2015

Just two days before the deadline, California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office filed notice the state would challenge U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson’s January ruling that federal law preempts the state’s ban on serving foie gras. The phrase in French means “fatted

Warnings about AB32 sink in with national media

Chris Reed February 9, 2015

Since California’s adoption of Assembly Bill 32 in 2006, business interests have emphasized the law’s long-term effects on economic competitiveness. The measure requires the state to shift to cleaner-but-costlier forms of energy, reaching 33 percent of electricity supplies by 2020.

Despite strong profits, Farmer Bros. gives up on CA

Chris Reed February 8, 2015

A highly profitable coffee distribution and production company with deep roots in Los Angeles County and a national clientele is closing its primary Los Angeles facility and preparing to move to Texas or one of several states promising lower taxes,

The unexpected check on an Indian casino free-for-all

Chris Reed February 7, 2015

When state voters approved Proposition 1A in 2000 — the measure paving the way for the broad expansion of Indian casinos in California — opponents warned that once casinos were a big money generator, there would be a free-for-all driven

Direct democracy abuses: Both parties have dirty hands

Chris Reed February 5, 2015

Over the past 14 months, San Diego voters have repudiated the decisions of the Democratic majority on the City Council three times. The most influential Democrat on the council thinks he knows why: San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria will

CA prison population drops below court-ordered level

James Poulos February 4, 2015

After an improvised scramble to reduce populations in accordance with federal court orders, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration has succeeded in lowering the number of state prison inmates to the judicially prescribed level. He largely accomplished that through his Public Safety

School bond problems go far beyond LAUSD purchase of iPads

Chris Reed February 3, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s skepticism about state assistance for local school districts’ construction projects appears to be primarily based on an intense disdain for adding more billions to what he likes to call the state’s “wall of debt.” But a counter

CA lawmakers deal pair of online poker bills

John January 30, 2015

State lawmakers have dealt out a pair of bills to legalize Internet poker in California. Assemblymen Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, and Reggies Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, have introduced separate proposals to allow online poker in the largest potential gaming market in the country. As many

Fracking with no freshwater — or water — increasingly common

Chris Reed January 29, 2015

The next great environmental fight in California is likely to be over hydraulic fracturing, the energy extraction process that uses underground water cannons to blast away rock and reach oil and natural gas reserves. Gov. Jerry Brown appears ready to