Gov. Brown Should Sign AB -159, The “Right To Try” Bill
David Huntley was the picture of health. A San Diego State University professor and a triathlete, he never expected to face a disease that would stop him in his tracks in his 60s. But that’s what ALS does. It comes on fast and there’s no way to stop it. We met David and his wife […]
Statement on Resignation of Speaker Boehner
(Editor’s note: California’s Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the Congressional Majority Leader, is considered a leading candidate to become the next Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives. If he becomes speaker he will be the second Speaker of the House from California in the last decade following Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco who served […]
The Voters’ Right to Know Initiative is a Poison Pill for the Political Process
Last week, several well-known campaign reform activists, supported by funding from another Silicon Valley billionaire, filed a new campaign finance reform initiative they dubbed “The Voters’ Right to Know Act.” A closer look at the measure reveals that it contains a few standard political reform bromides and provisions recently considered by the Legislature, one of which […]
What’s That Crippled Refinery Cost You? $3 Billion … And Counting
A couple of weeks ago, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported that Californians have paid almost $3 billion extra for gasoline since February. Why? Because regulators have balked about allowing a refinery in Torrance, crippled by an explosion, to patch the damage and boost operations. Now, as the Los Angeles Times reportedWednesday, ExxonMobil Corp. has scrapped its […]
Stronger Oversight Needed at CA State Bar
The State Bar regulates and licenses the nearly quarter of a million attorneys in California, and is also responsible for punishing those who violate legal and ethical standards – but it is clearly not doing its job effectively. In June, a state audit found that the State Bar fails to adequately punish attorneys who violate its standards. […]