Tag "Chris Christie"

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Stars aligning for far-reaching changes to state bail system

Last week could be remembered as a turning point for California criminal justice as state Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the movement to radically change the Golden State’s bail system, which charges by far the highest average bail in the

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San Bernardino attacks shape presidential race

Presidential candidates in both parties have found challenges and opportunities in responding politically to the recent terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, California. In the wake of Tashfeen Malik’s attack, carried out with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, controversy and criticism has

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Gov. Christie: Not all pensions will be paid

Chris Cristie is the governor of New Jersey. But he has given a wake-up call to all states with public pension problems, including California. The latest: BELMAR, N.J. — Pension reform is going to involve breaking some promises, including reducing benefits

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Pension follies: New Jersey adopts insane San Diego approach

California leads the way when it comes to government pension dysfunction. The first big city to be stricken by pension costs in the U.S. was San Diego, leading to the memorable 2004 New York Times’ description of it as “Enron

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Elections offer lessons for California GOP

  This post has been updated below. Yesterday, two states located thousands of miles from California elected new governors. And although the elections won’t directly affect the Golden State, California Republicans hoping to reverse their recent fortunes in statewide elections

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Why Chris Christie won’t be president

As his speech before GOP honchos this week showed, Chris Christie obviously is running for president. The New Jersey governor likely will be re-elected next year, then begin campaigning in earnest for the White House. He attacked potential opponents, meaning

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LAT: GOP falling apart. Real story is much more striking

The Republican Party may have just seen its second straight feckless presidential campaign. Yet it has what The New York Times calls “firm hold” of the House of Representatives. And 2014 is shaping up as “unpleasant” for Democrats hoping to

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Will Silicon Valley’s elite take on public sector unions?

March 27, 2013 By Ed Ring The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most liberal metropolitan areas in America. Democrats are typically favored over Republicans in elections by margins up to 50 percentage points. The SF Bay is also

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I resent Gov. Jerry Brown’s fat insults

Sept. 12, 2012 By John Seiler To quote the late, great comedian Chris Farley, “I have what doctors call a little bit of a weight problem.” But with one exception, I don’t mind fat jokes. After all, my favorite comedians

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I brave watching the GOP convention

Aug. 29, 2012 By John Seiler I watched the Republican National Convention speeches yesterday evening the only way possible: by sipping bourbon. It was obvious the whole thing was scripted to project a TV image of the GOP as cuddly

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