Will the Supreme Court Deliver Relief for Central Valley Farmers and Ranchers?
In California, water issues are of top concern. So, all eyes should be on Washington now as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to potentially take-up two major cases that may affect water policies in the Central Valley for years to come. The cases, Stewart Jasper Orchards v. Jewell and State Water Contractors v. Jewell, […]
Our Appointment in Samarra
The phrase “Appointment in Samarra” is usually associated with the 1934 novel of that name by John O’Hara. But its origin is the 1933 play, Sheppey, by Somerset Maugham. Near the end of the play, Maugham recounts the Arabian fable of Death and the Servant. The speaker is Death: There was a merchant in Bagdad […]
California Water Bill Would Reduce Unemployment in Central Valley
(Editor’s note: A bill to temporarily deal with the California’s water crisis during the drought, particularly in the Central Valley, has run into a roadblock as Senator Dianne Feinstein who worked on fashioning the bill has pulled her support. A Sacramento Bee article reporting on the controversy over the bill is here. A Wall Street […]
A Baseball (Tax) Pitch
Major League Baseball star Pablo Sandoval, an integral cog in the San Francisco Giants’ World Series-winning team, has left the team and signed a five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox estimated to be worth $100 million. Buster Olney, a senior baseball writer for the nation’s leading sports network, ESPN, tweeted November 24 in response […]