Technology

Smartphone kill-switch mandate takes effect

On Wednesday, legislation requiring kill-switch technology for all smartphones sold in California took effect. Senate Bill 962 requires companies to embed specific kill switches in smartphones at the point of sale; the bill was passed by the Legislature and approved

CA Uber ruling prompts sharp, varied reaction

Chris Reed June 23, 2015

The ruling of the California Labor Commission last week that an Uber driver is an employee of the company — not a contractor — prompted national and international reaction from economists and other close observers of the growing “sharing” economy.

More than 100,000 households’ tax data stolen through IRS website

Josephine Djuhana May 28, 2015

The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that identity thieves “used taxpayer-specific data acquired from non-IRS sources to gain unauthorized access to information on approximately 100,000 tax accounts through IRS’ ‘Get Transcript’ application.” Data acquired illegally, such as Social Security information, date of

In Long Beach, taxis to copy the Uber approach

Chris Reed May 20, 2015

The arrival of Uber and Lyft has had a radical effect on surface transportation and seems likely to lead to a big downsizing of the taxi industry in California. In city after city, taxi lobbyists have fought to shut down

Poor in CA whipsawed by disorganized health agencies

Chris Reed May 14, 2015

Poor people in California — starting with individuals who make less than $16,200 — are eligible for subsidized health care from Medi-Cal. About 12 million people are enrolled in the state program. Individuals who make from $16,200 to about $60,000

Self-driving cars hit PR bump on CA roads

James Poulos May 13, 2015

Google admitted that its self-driving cars had racked up some dings on California’s streets, prompting a flurry of interest and caution among analysts closely watching the tech giant’s foray onto American roads. Reported NBC News: “Four of the nearly 50 self-driving

CA kickstarts Musk’s new battery empire

James Poulos May 10, 2015

With now-customary flair, Tesla chief Elon Musk announced his company’s latest foray — this time, into residential and commercial battery power storage. Aiming high The Los Angeles Times reported that “Musk introduced a new line of residential and commercial batteries [recently] in

VIDEO: Republicans can be environmentalists, too

CalWatchdog Staff April 29, 2015

In a conversation with CalWatchdog.com Editor Brian Calle, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer discusses the importance of preserving the environment and why it should not be a partisan issue. During the interview, Mayor Faulconer highlights the environment as our quality

VIDEO: The effective use of police body cameras in San Diego

CalWatchdog Staff April 24, 2015

In a conversation with CalWatchdog.com Editor Brian Calle, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer discusses law enforcement issues ranging from human trafficking to marijuana legalization. In the interview, Mayor Faulconer outlines his support for the use body cameras by police officers,

Did use of school bonds for iPads deceive bond buyers?

Chris Reed April 21, 2015

When California voters passed Proposition 39 in 2000, they thought they were simply making it easier to pass school bonds for construction of facilities by lowering the approval threshold from two-thirds of the vote to 55 percent. But a provision