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Bill advances ‘civil rights’ claims on gender-neutral bathrooms

May 16, 2013 By Katy Grimes As if plucked right out of the silly book, “There Oughta Be A Law,” San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has been pushing a bill through the Legislature which has the potential of turning all

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Collective bargaining behind the scenes

May 15, 2013 By Katy Grimes Government employees’ salaries and benefits, and in particular, pensions, are financially unsustainable in California. It is clear that collective bargaining reform is needed. But in a state run by politicians elected largely with the

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Gov. Brown’s May budget revision balances only by ignoring unfunded liabilities

May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — Balancing the economic realities of the state budget with political influences surely is a challenging task. Unfortunately, in California it is a task which few administrations have managed in recent state history.

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Obama administration taps AP phone lines

May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes The Associated Press found itself in an interesting juxtaposition yesterday when it had to report that the Obama Justice Department secretly obtained two months of AP’s own employees’ phone records. In what can only be called

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Assembly budget secrecy ahead; 37 empty budget bills passed

May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — Another secretive budget is in the near future as Democrats passed 37 empty budget “spot bills” Monday. It was business as usual in the Assembly. Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Los Angeles, the author of

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Bill would strip corruption protections from university employees

May 13, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — Public contracts should always be subjected to stiff scrutiny. Without public scrutiny and oversight, spending other people’s money is too easy. But a new Assembly bill would not only increase the amount

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Lawmakers learn what farmers already know about sustainable agriculture

May 10, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — During two hours of expert testimony Wednesday, California Assembly members learned future commercial and housing developments should not be built on prime agricultural land, which should continue to be used for farming. The

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CA inmate reduction plan shuns out-of-state prisons, other options

May 9, 2013 By Katy Grimes You’ve heard of the Millionaire Next Door? Now meet the Criminal Next Door. In what appears to be a nod to the powerful prison guards union, California is shunning sending prison inmates to lower

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Vindictive Obamacare bills speeding through Legislature

May 9, 2013 By Katy Grimes It’s always good to see the California Legislature proposing more vindictive bills aimed at penalizing employers. The new “Walmart loophole” bill, AB 880, would require large employers to “pay their fair share when they

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Lawmaker wants president to discharge student loan debt

May 8, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — In 2006, a major rewrite of the federal bankruptcy law allowed for federal student loans to be dischargeable. Prior to 2006, student loans, along with taxes, were always required to be paid

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