Technology

State is owed millions in allegedly unpaid fees from Verizon

Verizon owes $11 million to a state fund to help the poor, the hearing-impaired and people in rural areas access telecommunications service, according to a draft document from the state’s Public Utility Commission. The fees are owed on service to prepaid

CARTOON: Easter Bunny Discovers Uber

CalWatchdog Staff April 5, 2015

Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant

Bill could halt Airbnb, vacation rentals in some CA cities

John March 31, 2015

Travel has never been easier or more affordable — thanks to the proliferation of online accommodation marketplaces. Whether you’re planning a weekend trip to Napa Valley or the family’s spring getaway to Disneyland, non-traditional accommodation services, such as Airbnb, provide travelers with a range of

CA’s automated cars ready to roll

James Poulos March 26, 2015

With remarkable speed, California’s top technologists have reached a breakthrough point in their development of automated cars. Automated vehicles from seven companies have hit Golden State freeways, with more to come. Dramatizing the developments, one firm’s team of engineers and scientists

FPPC staff backs decreased disclosure

Chris Reed March 15, 2015

The Internet has made quick, easy disclosure of information the norm in news and social media. This has led reformers to call for a new era in campaign finance in which all political donations are disclosed in almost real time.

Electric cars most popular in CA

John Seiler March 15, 2015

They’re still only a fraction of car sales. But all those Teslas and Leafs you see on the road are not an illusion. According to ChargePoint.com, of the top four cities in the country for electric cars, three are in California: The

New York Times’ brutal take on CA green jobs revisited

Chris Reed February 15, 2015

The promises of Gov. Jerry Brown and predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger that green jobs and the green economy would be the backbone of California’s economic comeback seem all but forgotten. Brown didn’t even mention all his 2010 promises in his successful

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

CA road use tax could morph into social engineering experiment

Chris Reed January 28, 2015

The prospect that Californians will face a new state levy is certain to cause grousing and considerable comment. But a proposal that is increasingly making waves has far-reaching implications and possibilities that have yet to be acknowledged. This is from

Oxy CA energy spinoff has bumpy launch

Chris Reed January 11, 2015

When energy giant Occidental launched a spinoff to focus on California energy exploration on Dec. 1, the circumstances facing California Resources Corp. were daunting. The plunging price of oil made unconventional energy extraction methods, which cost more, less attractive. And