Tag "Los Angeles"
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LA pot politics spreads statewide
Thanks to Los Angeles, the politics of marijuana is lighting up in California this election season. Not only are L.A. laws, attitudes and consumption habits influencing neighboring counties, they’re impacting the statewide debate. The situation is that Proposition 215, which voters approved in
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Mass transit for poor frowned on in Bay Area
There’s plenty of research that shows that bus rapid transit is far the most cost-effective type of mass transit, with a flexibility that’s particularly helpful to the less affluent. This is from a Reason Foundation study released in January about
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CA cities gain tool to chop retirement benefits
A cliche in government circles is that there is no “magic bullet” available to address many big, difficult problems. But thanks to a recent action by the California Supreme Court, many local governments now do have a “magic bullet” to
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Surprising new study scores California sprawl
A new national study is making waves for the way it ranks California cities. No matter how pleasant the weather, residents and visitors alike have complained for decades about sprawl. Highways jam with cars. Convenience stores and strip malls
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Coverage of L.A. ‘pothole tax’ never mentions why budget is bare
The city of Los Angeles’ finances are in terrible shape. The city’s economy is sluggish and revenue is stagnant. Meanwhile, retirement benefits for retired city workers — especially police and firefighters — eat up ever more of the budget. “As
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L.A. proposal: That’s a pension tax — not a pothole tax
This proposal — allegedly from Los Angeles bureaucrats but almost certainly from new L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti — got the scorn it deserved on libertarian and conservative websites when it came out Wednesday afternoon: “L.A.’s elected officials should put a half-cent
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Faulconer election won’t stop ‘Los Angelization’ of San Diego politics
On Tuesday, San Diego voters will decide between two City Council members in a special election to fill the remaining 33 months of the mayoral term of disgraced, resigned Bob Filner. The early conventional wisdom was that the clear favorite
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The L.A. Story: Picture worth far more than a thousand words
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
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LAT’s Steve Lopez finally figures out life in California
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
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