Speaker’s “Rainy Day” Reserve Proposal: Reform or Power Play?
Assembly Speaker John Perez has announced his support for a ballot measure establishing a new “rainy day reserve” for the state budget. Still to be answered: is his proposal more responsible than the measure already on the November, 2014, ballot? In other words, what is the problem with the measure slated for 2014 that the […]
Brown’s Prison Appeal has a Fair Shot at US Supreme Court
Governor Jerry Brown’s effort to meet federal court orders to improve health care for prisoners and reduce the prison population has received a thumbs down from a federal court panel, so Brown said he would appeal to the Unites States Supreme Court. The thinking here is that the governor has a decent shot at the […]
Jury Trials Should be Decided by American Citizens
Legislation working its way through the State Capitol has sparked considerable debate in law schools and coffee shops across the state on a fundamental question – should non-citizens be allowed to serve on juries? The measure, Assembly Bill 1401 (Wieckowski) would authorize legal immigrants to serve on juries in both civil and criminal trials. It […]
Could Embracing Clean Energy Help the GOP?
“We want to be the first city that produces more electricity from solar energy than we consume on a daily basis.” You might be thinking that the Mayor of Berkeley said that, but in fact, it was R. Rex Parris, the Republican Mayor of Lancaster, California, a high desert city known for hosting the annual […]