Local Initiatives Threatened by Court Decision
In a recent decision by the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Mission Springs Water District v. Verjil, the court gives government a tool to easily defeat any initiative it doesn’t like by simply withholding it from the ballot and suing the proponents. It is no exaggeration to say that, if the case is not overruled, […]
Maldonado Should Go All Out for Governor
Reports that Abel Maldonado fired his campaign team is welcome news. Campaign shakeups are a game of sharp elbows. But tales of Abel’s “reluctance” to raise money sound like the carping of pri-madonnas who expect the principle to keep the coffers full, so they can draw fat salaries even for grossly flawed work. Maldonado’s disastrous […]
Denham’s Ploy Not Shutting Down Government
Last month, columnist Dan Morain speculated that Rep. Jeff Denham’s, R-Calif., High Speed Rail ploy backfired (“Ploy Backfired on High Speed Rail).” Allegedly, Denham’s “ploy” was to get an unfavorable decision from a federal agency that would force California’s High Speed Rail Project to obtain environmental clearances under the state’s “project killer” environmental law, rather […]
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Unionized
If Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has his way, your babysitter soon could join a union and cost you a lot more. The San Francisco Democrat has authored several domestic-worker unionization bills that have been vetoed by California governors. Now he’s back with Assembly Bill 241, which just passed both houses of the Legislature and is awaiting […]