Harris Should Not Circulate The “Sodomite Suppression Act” to Voters
Does an attorney general of California have a duty to approve for circulation any ballot initiative she receives? The legal consensus is that Attorney General Kamala Harris does. Reviewing and titling an initiative for circulation is a ministerial act that the a.g. Is supposed to perform without comment. Previous court rulings have found that Harris […]
A Review: “Chessman” — Pat Brown, Jerry Brown and California’s Crime of the Century
(Editor’s Note: A reading of Joe Rodota’s play Chessman, a work in progress, was performed at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento this weekend.) Crime never ceases to intrigue, especially its punishment. Half a century ago California executed convicted felons on a regular basis at San Quentin’s gas chamber. That placed capital punishment at the […]
Connected L.A. Money Stories
Los Angeles’ major daily newspapers this weekend each had separate stories that reflected big money in Los Angeles and, in a way, the two stories are connected. The Los Angeles Times reported than many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs were spending big bucks for Los Angeles area real estate. We’re talking on the high end about $70 […]
LAO: Consider Phasing Out Retiree Health Care
Gov. Brown’s plan to curb the long-ignored debt for state worker retiree health care, now much larger than their unfunded pension debt, may look familiar. It’s similar to the standard state and local government pension reform. Workers contribute more, most going from zero to 3 percent of pay, and new hires not protected by vested […]