Rights and Liberties

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

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

CA Democrats’ ritual: Passing doomed gun laws to media cheers

Chris Reed September 3, 2014

House Republicans face fire from many quarters for the dozens of times they have voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the critics sometimes aren’t just the usual partisan soldiers. Plenty of editorial boards are incensed by this tactic. They say

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

Cartoon: Mexico and immigration

John Seiler September 1, 2014

AG’s low-key Vergara appeal has damage-control vibe

Chris Reed August 31, 2014

Without fanfare, Attorney General Kamala Harris appealed the Vergara decision throwing out state teacher tenure and job-protection laws late Friday at the direction of Gov. Jerry Brown and with the encouragement of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. Unlike

Torlakson says real problem is low teacher pay, not tenure

Chris Reed August 30, 2014

This was predictable: Friday’s announcement that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson wanted an appeal of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu’s ruling that teacher tenure laws are unconstitutional because they funnel the worst teachers to struggling schools

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

Historic Vergara ruling finalized; state has weighty decision on appeal

Chris Reed August 28, 2014

A court decision that puts the interests of Latino and black students and parents on a collision course with those of the mostly white members of the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers has been finalized: The

Arrested for DUI, Sen. Hueso voted to ban beach booze

John August 25, 2014

It could be a case of, “Do as I say, not as I do.” State Senator Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of drinking and driving. He reportedly spent the night drinking wine and tequila in the State Capitol