The Curious Timing of Sen. Rubio’s Resignation
Senator Michael Rubio’s sudden resignation to take a job with the Chevron Corporation on the day Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg released his CEQA “reforms” made the timing of Rubio’s announcement very interesting. Rubio had been selected by Steinberg to chair the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and take the lead on CEQA reforms. Governor […]
Gov. Brown Endorses Enterprise Zones
OK, maybe not by his words – but certainly by his deeds. At his premier policy address earlier this year, Governor Brown touted the business retention and expansion efforts by his GO-Biz office (“…directly assisted more than 5,000 companies this past year”), but then claimed the state’s Enterprise Zone Program is “not working.” His appointees […]
Dorner Manhunt Puts a Different Spin on State vs. Local
It is an article of faith in California governance circles that local trumps state. It’s supposedly better to have decisions made and services delivered at the local level. Local officials should be trusted over the folks sent from Sacramento. The manhunt for the cop-turned-killer Christopher Dorner flipped this narrative, in an illustrative way. How? The […]
Republican Kevin James can Make the Runoff for LA Mayor. If…
With the city elections in Los Angeles just over a week away, I have been getting asked by a lot of our readers whether I think it is possible for there ever to be another Republican Mayor of California’s largest city? The answer is — it depends. It depends on whether Republicans voters turn out […]
In California, Don’t Bash the ‘Burbs
For the past century, California, particularly Southern California, nurtured and invented the suburban dream. The sun-drenched single-family house, often with a pool, on a tree-lined street was an image lovingly projected by television and the movies. Places like the San Fernando Valley – actual home to the “Brady Bunch” and scores of other TV family […]