Trust the Voters, Not the Reformers
Anyone want John Burton picking your assemblyman? What about having Jim Brulte decide who will represent you in the state Senate? Yet in a misguided bit of nostalgia for smoke-filled rooms, that’s exactly what’s being suggested by some reform-minded folks as a solution for low-turnout special elections. Timm Herdt, a veteran Sacramento reporter for the […]
California Biz Hurt by NSA Story
California and its businesses have a problem. It’s called the National Security Agency. That may sound provincial. The debate over the massive NSA surveillance programs disclosed by Edward Snowden is a national and global matter, not just a California concern. But the disclosures—and the U.S. government’s reaction to them—hit at the heart of California’s economic […]
Gov. Signs Bills to Help Manufacturing
By signing SB 90 and AB 93, Gov. Brown put California back in the mix for the country’s next round of long-term manufacturing investments. The Governor has been looking for ways to make California a manufacturing leader once again. This is a big move toward that goal. This legislation will grow high wage jobs in California. We […]
ISO Chair Bob Foster on California’s Energy Future without San Onofre
Southern California Edison recently decided to shut down the San Onofre nuclear power plant after trouble with faulty generators. This month, The Planning Report consulted Long Beach Mayor, ISO Chair, and former SCE president Bob Foster on the impact the closure will have on energy supply in the Southland, and how the state plans to counter […]
Playing the Bond Game, Taxpayers Lose
A recent front page story in the Los Angeles Times raised the curtain on a dirty little secret that local school officials don’t want the public to know. Many school boards throughout California have indulged in a process that can best be described as “bribery and money laundering” which grossly inflates the cost of bond debt — […]