Tag "John Hrabe"
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Governor’s race: Maldonado drops out
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado ended his campaign for governor of California on Thursday morning, leaving a conservative state legislator as the only Republican candidate in the race. Maldonado, the state’s most prominent Latino Republican, made the announcement where his
Read MoreFresno mayor obstructs initiative process to save water rate hike
Fresno residents could see their water rates double, and in the process, all Californians could see their petition powers diminished, if a state appellate court doesn't act quickly on a lawsuit to stop strong-arm tactics by the city of Fresno. The battle
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Brown on Drought: Governors can’t make it rain
As the rest of the country remains in a deep freeze, California’s weather is making headlines of its own. 2013 was one of the driest years on record in California. Los Angeles, which sees average annual rainfall of 14.90 inches,
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Bipartisan effort would limit federal spying in California
Federal agencies could find it harder to spy on Californians if a new bill proposed this legislative session becomes law. State Senators Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, and Joel Anderson, R-San Diego, introduced legislation on Monday that would ban state agencies, officials
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New report details California lawmakers accepting gifts
A new report by California Common Cause shows that elected officials in California accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts in 2012. The gifts to lawmakers, according to the non-partisan citizens’ lobby organization, came primarily from special interest groups
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Controller Chiang’s payroll website earning praise for openness, transparency
Federal officials continue to reshuffle the management of Healthcare.gov, with Kurt DelBene, a former president of the Microsoft Office Division, tapped as the new point person for the troubled Obamacare website. If DelBene fails to deliver, President Obama should call California State Controller
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Lobbyist organizes second legislative junket to Cuba
An influential Sacramento lobbyist — who paid out a $500,000 settlement for allegedly engaging in “pay-to-play” behavior — has organized a second junket to Cuba for California lawmakers. This week, Darius Anderson, the founder and president of Sacramento-based lobbying firm Platinum
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Steinberg’s side job raises ethics questions
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has tried in vain to distance himself from the FBI’s ongoing investigation into corruption at the State Capitol. Earlier this month, as a part of that effort, Steinberg resigned his position with a
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Special interest contributions dwarf alleged FBI bribes to Ron Calderon
Undercover FBI agents, posing as Hollywood producers in search of a tax credit, allegedly set up a $50,000 “special fund” with Ron Calderon’s name on it. The state Senator, according to an affidavit obtained by Al Jazeera America, allegedly spent
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Diversity PAC: Ron Calderon’s slush fund for luxury
A shadowy political action committee cited in the FBI’s case against state Senator Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private jets, five-star hotels, elite golf courses and extravagant meals at the country’s finest restaurants,
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