More Blows for Reed and DeMaio as Pension Efforts Ring in the New Year
A holiday blizzard of bad news has hit former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and former San Diego City Council member Carl DeMaio, undermining their efforts on two state ballot measures to reduce retirement security for public workers. In early December, the long-running battle between the City of San Jose and the city’s police department […]
California Pension Follies Continue
When San Diego radio talk show host and failed Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio first unveiled his pension measure in March of this year, he boasted to Reuters news that “We have done a lot of legal work to make sure this initiative is bulletproof.” Turns out, the measure had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. Independent […]
Why Pension Measure is in Trouble
To no one’s surprise, the backers of the measure to slash retirement security for millions of California’s public servants are squealing about the title and summary issued by Attorney General Kamala Harris last week. Reed described it as “inaccurate and misleading.” Which is nearly identical what he said two years ago when Harris issued a […]
CalSTRS, CalPERS Deliver One-Two Punch to Pension Measure
After the nonpartisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office recently put the proposed pension ballot measure attacking retirement security on the ropes with its finding that it would create “significant uncertainty,” the state’s top two pension systems may have delivered knockout punches this week. In letters to Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), chairman of the Assembly Committee on […]
LAO Deals a Blow to Pension Measure’s Chances
The Legislative Analysts Office may have dealt the death knell to an effort to slash the retirement security of California’s teachers, firefighters, peace officers, bus drivers and other public employees this week with a candid assessment of its impact. In its analysis of the measure, being advanced by former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and former San […]
Steve Glazer’s Campaign Against “Special Interests”. As Phony as Schwarzenegger’s?
Match the following statements with who said them: “We need to take important steps to limit the corrosive impact of special interest power and lawmaking abuse.” “The biggest problem that we have is that California is being run now by special interests.” State Senate candidate Steve Glazer said the first. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the […]
Is Susan Bonilla the Real “Jerry Brown Democrat” in the State Senate Race?
Governor Jerry Brown is, according to the latest polls, enjoying record job approval ratings. Californians give him high marks for getting the state back on track after years of multi-billion budget deficits, and for tackling tough issues such as climate change, water, and transportation. So it’s no surprise that the two candidates for the State […]
Memo to Steve Glazer: Being a Democratic “Centrist” Doesn’t Mean Being Against Working Families
There’s a political war brewing in the mix of tony and working class suburbs of the East Bay that, thanks to the Top Two primary, is between two Democrats – self-described “centrist” political consultant Steve Glazer and Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, a pragmatist perhaps best known for her work on the “Uber” bill and working with […]
Big Plastic’s Gambit on Referendum is Doomed from the Start
The plastic bag industry, under the guise of the disingenuously-named “American Progressive Bag Alliance,” is likely to submit 750,000 or so signatures next week to the California Secretary of State. Although the rain has dampened signature gathering efforts, forcing the industry to spend upwards of $3.50 signature, the bag makers should collect more than enough […]
Intervenor Fees — The Hidden Secret of ConsumerWatchdog’s Prop 45
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has awarded $2.3 million in state “intervenor” fees in 2013 to ConsumerWatchdog, the Santa Monica-based group that is sponsoring Proposition 45, a measure on the November ballot to give Jones sweeping new powers to regulate health insurance. But wait. That information — posted on the Department of Insurance’s website a few […]