Brown Gets a Taste Of His Own Extortion
In the days ahead, you may hear Gov. Jerry Brown or his fellow Democrats (or even anti-tax groups on the right) accuse Assembly Republicans of extortion. If you do, you can ignore the charge – and savor the irony. The Republicans are toying a familiar extortion tool for which Brown bears special responsibility. That tool […]
SCOTUS Showdown: “Sorry, hon, you did it to yourself”
After yesterday’s news that Republican Senate leaders will not even consider any Supreme Court nominee until a new president is in office, current President Obama is taking it to the streets in an effort to get his yet unnamed pick approved. Or at least to make some much-needed political hay. In a guest column on […]
How Jerry Brown’s War on Climate Change May Only Make Things Worse
In his quest to improve air quality locally, Gov. Jerry Brown actually risks pushing more greenhouse gasses into skies globally. Last July, Brown issued an executive order commanding state agencies to develop “an integrated action plan by July 2016 that establishes clear targets to improve freight efficiency, transition to zero-emission technologies, and increase competitiveness of […]
California’s Prop 50—Another Step Toward Restoring Public Trust
When state Sen. Leland Yee was arrested in 2014 on charges he engaged in racketeering and gun-trafficking activities, Californians were outraged. A state senator who was campaigning for Secretary of State on a transparency platform was found to be a phony and ultimately a convicted criminal. Yee became the third sitting State Senator charged with […]