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Greens lead push to kill Gov. Brown’s housing measure

Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious plan to increase housing stock is off to a good start, but environmentalists are ramping up the pressure on Democrats in the state Legislature to either gut it or kill it. The governor’s plan, unveiled last

Hospital sale hobbles Harris

James Poulos February 24, 2015

Pressured by labor unions and their political allies, California Attorney General Kamala Harris has made her first big political gamble as a candidate to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016. Urged to intervene in a hot-blooded dispute over the fate of six

Minimum wage activists set sights on L.A.

James Poulos July 22, 2014

The concerted push for higher minimum wages in California has spread from the East Bay to Los Angeles. On the heels of a recently approved $15 minimum wage in Seattle, advocates for dramatically increased hourly wages sensed an opportunity to select

Democrats mostly silent on UC strike amid declining union approval

John February 25, 2014

As public opinion in California turns against labor unions, few Democrat politicians — most of whom rely on union support to win elections — have publicly embraced workers at the University of California. 21,000 members of AFSCME 3299 are planning a five-day

Senate Ed committee balances school needs, parents, unions and worms

Katy Grimes January 17, 2014

At a meeting of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, a dirty little secret about the Capitol came out. There are apparently worms in the drinking fountains. SB 687 was on the agenda in the education committee. The bill would

Background: UFW lost battle to Gerawan in Superior Court

Katy Grimes January 4, 2014

Note: This is additional backround to the series of stories CalWatchDog.com has been running on the court battle between Gerawan Farms and the United Farm Workers union. The following is from late November, but has not been reported elsewhere. An order issued

Hey Sacramento — publicly-funded arenas are bad for business

Katy Grimes October 28, 2013

While running record deficits, Sacramento’s Mayor Kevin Johnson and city officials approved a $447.7 million arena deal at the Downtown Plaza in March, claiming a public-private partnership – only the private contributions amount to about one-third. Sacramento’s publicly funded arena deal

Farm workers fight UFW unionization

Katy Grimes October 1, 2013

The United Farm Workers labor union and the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board have found themselves on the brink of ruination and even irrelevance. The labor union boasted 50,000 members by the end of the 1970s. But according to the UFW’s

Sacto arena bill signed, but not over yet

Katy Grimes September 28, 2013

I hate “I told ya so” moments. Gov. Jerry Brown just signed SB 743, “easing environmental regulations for developments in California cities, including a new basketball arena in downtown Sacramento,” the Los Angeles Times said. In March I predicted Senate President Pro

Steinberg rushing arena bill through last days of session

Katy Grimes September 5, 2013

Strange bedfellows are camping out under the bleachers to oppose an arena in Sacramento for the Kings pro basketball team. They're united in opposition because of the lack of public debate, the dubious numbers put out by the city and