Regulations

Assemblywoman Grove raises union power issue

Did a Democratic legislator take labor union money in exchange for a union-sponsored bill? That possibility was raised on the Assembly floor Aug. 28 by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, in connection with a bill authored by Assemblyman Roger Hernandez,

Labor-backed bill may force union on farm workers

Dave Roberts September 10, 2014

Democratic state legislators passed a bill that could result in thousands of Fresno farm workers paying dues to a union that they may not support and abiding by a labor contract that they might not want. Senate Bill 25, authored

Wins and losses in latest CA gun control battles

James Poulos September 10, 2014

Gun control laws in the state of California have entered into a period of flux. Despite a reputation for exceptionally strict gun measures, the regulatory landscape has become a mixed bag. Advocates of tighter restrictions and advocates of looser ones have

Despite incentives, Tesla stiffs CA

James Poulos September 9, 2014

Ensnared by deep contradictions between its regulations and priorities, California officials failed to close a massive deal with automaker Tesla, allowing Nevada to ink a landmark agreement. California and Nevada were just two of the states vying for Tesla’s $5 billion “gigafactory,”

CA, Tesla and the slippery slope to crony capitalism

Chris Reed September 8, 2014

The decision of Tesla to locate its “gigafactory” in the Reno area instead of California offers critics of the state’s business climate a chance to once again knock Gov. Jerry Brown and other state leaders for failing to care about

L.A. restaurants make plain there’s no such thing as a free lunch

Chris Reed September 4, 2014

Is it a passive-aggressive way for independent businesses to let customers know about the cost of government regulation? Or just a trick that allows those businesses to charge more than they normally would without prompting grousing from their customers? Whatever

After gamble backfires, L.A. demands refund from banks

Wayne Lusvardi September 2, 2014

In the San Francisco Bay area, public transit riders are paying $104 million in higher rider fees to cover the cost of exotic financial insurance known as an interest rate swap. In Detroit, the inability of the city to

Legislature should have heeded Brit regulators on plastic bags

Chris Reed September 1, 2014

Dubious bills often get passed on the final night of the state legislative session, and 2014 was no exception: A measure to make California the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags. SB270 passed despite fierce opposition

100,000 lacking ID could lose Covered CA coverage

James Poulos August 29, 2014

Covered California could lose up to 100,000 enrollees who haven’t proven their eligibility under the state’s version of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. According to the ACA, unlawful U.S. residents aren’t permitted to receive coverage. Yet, although California is home to

Unions win court round in battle with charter cities

Chris Reed August 29, 2014

Unions lost round one of their battle with California cities over “prevailing wages” on public works projects in 2012. That’s when the California Supreme Court ruled against a law they’d gotten the Legislature to pass targeting charter cities for their