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Political Water Scams Back on the California Ballot
My 2016 article, Why Can’t California Farmers Get the Water They Need?, exposed Gov. Brown’s shadow government appointees at the State Water Resources Control Board that ordered the release of massive amounts of water from the New Melones Reservoir and Lake Tulloch, to save a dozen fish, and how Gov. Brown systematically booted a number of qualified people […]
Covered California to Guarantee Health Insurers’ Profits to Save Obamacare Exchange
Covered California is so desperate to keep insurance companies on its Obamacare exchange that the state plans to guarantee profits to the giant corporations. Breitbart News reported early this month that despite the annual inflation rate of only 1.6 percent, Covered California is granting healthcare insurers average premium increases of 12.5 percent. But that appears to not be enough […]
Increase the homeowners exemption to improve housing affordability
California is in a housing crisis. The cost of housing — both for purchase and rental housing — is too expensive. Ineffective public housing policies and anti-growth policies that impede even reasonable development projects have choked supply in a high-demand market. California needs to start building homes and apartments as soon as possible. Recent estimates […]
Pensions: The high cost of ‘socially responsible’ investment policy
SACRAMENTO – A newly released report from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System confirms that, fulfilling the Legislature’s directive to divest from coal-related investments, the pension fund has now largely exited from coal stocks. But as news reports this week suggest, this “socially responsible” investment policy has come at a price, as coal stocks soar under the […]
Summer of discontent continues to rage for California progressives
The California progressive movement’s summer of discontent continues, with anger still on display over the abrupt withdrawal of a single-payer health care bill and over the May election of a party insider as California Democratic chairman. This week, the Associated Press reported that progressives remain interested in pursuing a recall campaign against Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, […]
CPR Blog
JFK or Patrick Henry?
May 29 marked the 100th anniversary of John F. Kenney’s birth, which has triggered multiple Camelot retrospectives. Seldom do they omit JFK’s power to inspire, often illustrated with his most famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” However, while many find it […]
A Supreme Court Litmus Test from Our Founders
As the March 20 start of confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch approaches, Americans have been hearing about litmus tests. For instance, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have set up a standard of “being mainstream” in their eyes and respecting precedents they like, ignoring whether they violate the Constitution. However, there is a […]
Neither liberty nor justice for all
Recently, Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote in the Washington Post of “The most important phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance” — “with liberty and justice for all.” Allen recognized that justice required “equality before the law” and that freedom exists “only when it is for everyone.” But she confused democracy, as in progressives “build[ing] […]
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
Los Angeles approves plan to pay homeowners to house homeless
As reported by the L.A. Daily News: A pilot program that pays some Los Angeles County homeowners to build a second dwelling on their property to house homeless people was approved with a 4-0 vote Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors. Homeowners in unincorporated communities who qualify can receive up to $75,000 to build a […]
State ethics commission poised to help Democrats fight off recall effort
As reported by the L.A. Times: The state’s campaign watchdog agency is poised on Thursday to open the spigot for large political contributions that would help an embattled Democratic state senator fend off a recall campaign, a change that opponents say is tainted by secret talks between a commissioner and a Democratic attorney. The state […]
Should the LAPD use drones?
As reported by the L.A. Times: For more than three years, a pair of drones donated to the Los Angeles Police Department was locked away, collecting dust after a public outcry over the idea of police using the controversial technology. Seattle police saw a similar backlash when they wanted to use the devices, grounding their drone program […]
John Cox Did Not Run Against Barack Obama – Contrary to His Claims
John Cox, who is running for Governor of California as a Republican, has been claiming to reporters that he once “ran against Barack Obama for U.S. Senate” in Illinois, and reporters are buying the claim, here in the Los Angeles Times, and here on Politico.com. The Times reported, “Cox, a Republican, in 2003 ran unsuccessfully […]
More CalPERS retirees are getting $100,000 pensions
As reported by the Press-Enterprise: The number of retired public employees in the CalPERS system with annual pensions of $100,000 or more grew 63 percent since 2012, according to a report released Wednesday, Aug. 9. Riverside County, Long Beach, Anaheim, Torrance and Riverside made the list of the 25 public agencies with the most pensioners […]
