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California’s soaring poverty rates tied to its fiscal irresponsibility
The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics, released this month, find that California’s poverty rate remains the highest in the nation, despite dipping ever so slightly. The reason is no surprise: It’s tied largely to the state’s unusually high cost of living. Yet despite Democratic lawmakers’ oft-stated concern about rising income inequality, they spent the recently concluded legislative […]
How voters shook up California’s Legislature
Something was different this year. As lawmakers in Sacramento approached the last night of their session—the final opportunity to pass or kill bills for the year—they had had three days to figure out how to vote. Three days may not sound like much, given the magnitude of the decisions involved in shaping policy for 39 […]
California Cities Sue Oil Companies over Climate Change
City attorneys in San Francisco and Oakland, California, sued five oil companies in two coordinated lawsuits on Tuesday, arguing that the courts should hold these companies responsible for climate change, and force them to financially compensate the cities for harm the plaintiffs claim those companies are causing to the planet’s environment. The two cities are […]
Poll finds Californians consider leaving state due to rising housing costs
A majority of voters in California have considered moving due to rising housing costs, according to new findings from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, with 1 in 4 saying that if they moved it would be out of the state for good. It’s just the latest piece of evidence on the state’s housing crisis, as residents confront […]
Xavier Becerra Keeps Losing Big Political Cases As Attorney General
Xavier Becerra has already lost some big cases in his new role as California’s Attorney General, as he turns the resources of the state’s top justice office into a political machine for the Democratic Party. Early this week, a Sacramento County Superior Court Judge determined that California’s attorney general wrote a misleading description of a […]
CPR Blog
John Moorlach: Sacramento has no clue how to solve housing crisis
Sacramento just doesn’t get it. A housing crisis is not solved with new fees, bonds and local government process overrides. Let’s talk about housing. KQED provides some of the gory details in a recent piece. But, allow me to elaborate. A quick tip, KQED provides the last act first. For Senate Bill 3 (and 5), I provided the following […]
Who Runs Our Government?
Many years ago, it became clear to many of us that Sacramento had two parties, the Republican Party and the Union Party. It is amazing how many bills are approved that incrementally give unions, both public and private, more and more territory over management or nonunion private sector businesses. It’s a testimony to their effectiveness, […]
Moorlach Update – Whistleblower Reaction
The Senate voted on nearly 200 bills and then adjourned for the week a few hours ago. The only bill a reporter asked my opinion on was SB51. “Why did I vote against it?” SB51 addresses a certain category of whistleblowers. Having held this title for my efforts back in 1994, you should know that […]
Publisher’s Corner
Astonishing Waste on Homeless Programs by San Francisco
I had to read the story in the San Francisco Chronicle twice to let the facts sink in. Over the last three years, The City has budgeted and spent $821 million in public funds on programs to address homelessness. My thought, and also the question posed by the piece, was that the problem must have surely […]
Cali-Culture
Most Californians Want Their Elected Officials to Work With Trump – UC Berkeley Poll
California’s elected Democratic leaders have vowed to “resist” the Trump Administration. Attorney General Xavier Becerra says he will invoke legal action to cut any funding to California, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee says he will “stand up to Trump,” Governor Jerry Brown has said California is “not turning back,” Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters wants to […]
Trending News
Gas tax opponents say California is trying to undermine them
As reported by the Sacramento Bee: Opponents of a gas tax increase passed this spring to pay for road repairs in California are on the verge of their first victory in a campaign to repeal the measure. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge tentatively ruled this week that state Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a misleading title and summary for an […]
Jeff Sessions urges California governor not to sign ‘sanctuary’ bill into law
As reported by the Washington Times: Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday singled out California Governor Jerry Brown and urged him not to sign into law a bill that would further restrict local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The legislation was approved by lawmakers over the weekend after the governor helped draft a series of […]
Travis Allen Wins Big in Preliminary Ruling in Gas Tax Repeal Lawsuit
Judge issues tentative ruling ordering Attorney General to not mislead voters and prepare a “true and impartial” title and summary for the Repeal of the Gas Tax ballot initiative SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblyman Travis Allen announced that the Sacramento Superior Court has issued a preliminary ruling granting his request that Attorney General Becerra rewrite his […]
US investigators reportedly wiretapped Paul Manafort before and after the election
As reported by Business Insider: US investigators obtained a warrant to wiretap former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort before and after the election, CNN reported Monday night. The revelation marks a potentially significant development in the ongoing probe into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. Some of the information gleaned from the surveillance prompted […]
CA bill would bar landlords from reporting immigrant tenants to ICE
As reported by the L.A. Daily News: A Spanish-speaking tenant recently asked the landlord of a Los Angeles slum building for a key to its new laundry facility when the landlord reportedly snapped: “We don’t rent to undocumented Mexicans anymore.” In another case, a landlord threatened to call immigration authorities on a family after they […]
