The judge hearing the federal challenge against California immigrant protection laws put his finger on a problem resulting from one of those laws: “The statute really puts the employer between a rock and a hard place,” the judge said. While greater attention at the Sacramento trial focused on California’s sanctuary state law, the dilemma faced […]

Perhaps the most troubling thing about the Cal 3 States initiative qualifying for the November election is that it will take the spotlight away from important policy measures that will appear along side it on the ballot. Potentially, there could be a slew of measures that would have substantial impact on California policy and governance: […]

Spooked by the imminent prospect of losing mandatory dues from bargaining unit employees, widely anticipated in the soon-to-be announced Janus case, California government employee unions have hauled out some of their most ambitious countermeasures to date and are rushing them through the legislature. SB 866 would cement union control over access to individual employee decisions on whether to continue paying union dues, should […]

Can John Cox win the California gubernatorial race? A long shot to be sure, but looking at the overwhelming registration advantage Democrat Gavin Newsom has over Republican Cox doesn’t mean numbers are destiny. Ask the governors of Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois. In three of the more liberal states in the union, with registration advantage for […]

The Los Angeles County Business Federation’s (BizFed) tenth consecutive yearly poll of its members shows that business concerns and priorities can change over a decade. Ten years ago, in the heart of the Great Recession, access to capital, state and local budget concerns and workers compensation were listed as the top three business fears. Today, […]

The progressive movement for criminal justice reform was wounded in the California primary and one of those wounds was self-inflicted. Major efforts by liberal groups to back District Attorney candidates who generally supported an overhaul of the bail system, reduced incarcerations, and tougher stands against police misconduct mostly faltered. At the same time, the recall […]

Republican John Cox grabbed the second spot in the governor’s race and you can anticipate the three major planks of his platform for November will be the gas tax, the gas tax, the gas tax. That is one issue that separates him from front runner Gavin Newsom. Voters indicated they could be on Cox’s side. […]

One recall vote today concerns a judge handing down a lenient sentence in a sexual assault case. The other recall is against a state senator for voting for a gas tax increase. Despite the differences in the offices and the charges made against the incumbents, the defense of each man is pretty much the same: […]