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Feinstein/Boxer drought-relief proposal already carried out

On Feb. 11, 25 days after Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official drought, California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer introduced a drought-relief bill. Senate Bill 216, ” The California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014,” was introduced concurrently with

Steinberg calls for carbon tax on gasoline

Wayne Lusvardi February 24, 2014

Last week, state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, proposed a “carbon tax” on gasoline and other fuels. This tax is separate from the taxes imposed by the state’s cap-and-trade program. Steinberg has opposed a cap-and-trade emissions tax on gasoline

Gov. Brown redefines ongoing programs as emergency drought aid

Wayne Lusvardi February 20, 2014

Thirty-four days after California Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official statewide drought emergency, he joined State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Perez on Feb. 19 in announcing an emergency drought aid package. (They

Obama drought relief package aids his constituency

Wayne Lusvardi February 19, 2014

On Friday Feb. 14, President Barack Obama choppered into California’s drought zone in Democratic-leaning Fresno. As shown in the adjacent photo from the White House, he traveled with U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jim Costa, all California

Can CA public-employee pensions be reformed?

Wayne Lusvardi February 10, 2014

Almost everyone acknowledges that California’s public pension system needs reform. Gov. Jerry Brown brought up reform in his his Jan. 2014 budget proposal for fiscal year 2014-15, which begins on July 1: “Future liabilities — to schools, public employees’ pensions and

East Coast freeze triggers voluntary CA electricity cutback

Wayne Lusvardi February 7, 2014

It’s not just water Californians are being asked to conserve. Yesterday, California’s Independent System Operator, which regulates the state’s electricity grid, called for a rare voluntary cutback in electricity use from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. The unusual reason: The

Drought Wars: Where did the farm water go?

Wayne Lusvardi February 6, 2014

Where did that farm water go? That’s a major question stalking California during its record drought. The finger-pointing sure is under way. On Feb. 4, environmental writer Dan Bacher pointed at state water managers, claiming they made the California drought worse by

Sen. Steinberg advances drought bill

Wayne Lusvardi February 4, 2014

Yesterday state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, released an outline of a drought reduction bill. Steinberg does not want to be outdone by Republican congressmen grabbing all the media attention for being the first to float an anti-drought

Drought Wars: Dueling bills seek to balance fish and farmers

Wayne Lusvardi February 3, 2014

The sprinkles some areas of California have enjoyed the last couple of days have done almost nothing to alleviate the state’s severe drought. So the Drought Wars between Democrats and Republicans have continued. In several recent articles CalWatchdog.com has covered

Central Valley farm drought disaster might have been mitigated

Wayne Lusvardi January 31, 2014

The ongoing 100-year drought didn’t have to be a disaster for California farmers. The tragedy could have been predicted — and was. A little-known 2008 study by four graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara warned that farmers first