Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Bullet-train ruling: Mum’s the word from Times, Bee edit boards

Isn’t the fact that the bullet train is going down worthy, yunno, of editorial comment? Judge Michael Kenny’s Aug. 16 ruling that the California High-Speed Rail Authority had failed to meet funding and environmental standards that would allow it to

Blame sequester theater, not sequester, for threat to CA beach

Chris Reed August 29, 2013

Sequestration theater — the Obama administration’s attempt to make a de facto freeze on overall government spending as painful and inconvenient as possible — is absolutely real. It’s not an invention of the president’s GOP critics. Just look at the

Fossil fuel ‘divestment’ may add to CA pension funding nightmare

Chris Reed August 28, 2013

If any state in America displays more of a need for a consistent commitment to pension “best practices” than California, I’m not aware of it. Some states’ main retirement systems may be in worse shape than the California Public Employees’

Brown still a friend of unions; signs SB 776

Katy Grimes August 27, 2013

While Gov. Jerry Brown may have averted a strike by the Bay Area Rapid Transit workers, he’s no union buster. Brown just signed today, SB 776 by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, which will eliminate independent monitoring and enforcement of prevailing wage laws.

The L.A. Story: Picture worth far more than a thousand words

Chris Reed August 27, 2013

Can’t really beat this for succintness, can you? New Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti may think his slight standing up to the L.A. Department of Water and Power shows he’s independent. But the Aug. 22 edition of the Southern California

LAT’s Steve Lopez finally figures out life in California

Chris Reed August 25, 2013

For years, I’ve written about the muddled thinking of liberal California pundits when it comes to government spending. I find it amazing how little comprehension there is that every dollar that is spent for unnecessary public employee compensation and every