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CARB update: Powers expanding beyond AB32

Irish wit Oscar Wilde once quipped, “The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.” He died in 1900, but he would have recognized the California Air Resources Board. Under AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of

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Dem Mayors tell Reed to drop pension reform initiative

Many can agree on the need for thoughtful and serious pension reform measures. Yet labor unions, and now Democratic mayors and city and county officials from around the state, have called on San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed to call off

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Covered CA throws a party – only 10 sign up

This week California’s Obamacare health insurance exchange, Covered California, rented the Sacramento Convention Center, and opened its doors to the public for a sign-up party, complete with balloons and press. CBS 13 reported 1,500 people showed up to apply and enroll in

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Sacramento arena proponents make desperate weekend robo-calls

My weekend was interrupted with yet another robo-call. But unlike other robo-callers, this outfit actually left a message… a jaw-dropping message. Never mind that I have an unlisted home phone number. “This is an urgent call from  DowntownArena.org,” the message

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No Assembly video for Donnelly, but ok for Speaker Perez

Last week gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly was warned he was about to receive a cease and desist notice from Assembly administrator Jon Waldie, telling him he was not allowed to use Assembly video footage in his political campaign. Yet the

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Elizabeth Emken: ‘It’s time to un-ring the Obamacare bell’

Note: This is the second in a series of profiles of the four major candidates for the crucial 7th Congressional District in California. The first, on Republican Igor Birman, is here. Elizabeth Emken says it is a good time to

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Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia bucks the ‘inside the beltway’ mentality

Legislators in Sacramento typically fall in line behind party leadership, but freshman Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, appears to have a pronounced independent streak. I had a chance to talk with Garcia about her experiences as a political reformer, and

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Hey Sacramento — publicly-funded arenas are bad for business

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

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Could 12,000 lawmakers fix what ails California?

The one thing m how to get your ex back ost Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on is that special interests have too much influence in politics. The little guy is feeling less and less relevant — especially at

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Obamacare: Your insurance plan is cancelled

If you have a job and are a member of the middle class, that pain you are feeling is the burden of carrying the entire Obamacare system on your back. Obamacare has been live since only Oct. 1, and already

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