California’s Initiative Process Serves as Check on Legislative Power
(Editor’s Note: State Treasurer John Chiang issues a monthly newsletter, Intersections, which offers facts and analysis about California’s debt, investments and economy. Each newsletter contains a feature titled Head to Head that offers differing views on Golden State policy and politics. For November, the discussion was about the initiative process featuring pieces by Joel Fox and Joe […]
California’s Initiative ‘Brutality’
(Editor’s Note: Previously published in Treasurer John Chiang’s Intersections newsletter) California’s initiative process is, in a word, “brutal.” That was the official judgment six years ago when hundreds of experts in direct democracy from all over the world came to San Francisco for a five-day conference. (Full disclosure: I was one of the conveners of the event). […]
Injunction Delays December 1 Department of Labor Overtime Rule
The Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) welcomes today’s injunction delaying implementation of the Department of Labor Overtime Rule, which would have raised the overtime exemption threshold to $47,476 on December 1. The Department of Labor rule would have significantly impacted small businesses across California, increasing labor costs while limiting opportunities for employees, especially young graduates. […]
A New Era for American Energy
The stark difference between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was crystal clear when it came to energy before and after the election. Clinton wanted to killcoal, and since Trump was elected three coal companies stocks in particular didremarkably well in the market: Arch Coal (ARCH), Peabody (BTUUQ and Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP). While clean coal is a […]
Anti-Trump Hysteria Plagues Our Schools
Worse than anything Donald Trump ever said, the backlash to his election has been horrifying. While the hysteria and teddy-bear-clutching over the election of a Republican president is nothing new – remember “Bushitler?” in which some on the left equated W to Der Führer – the present-day Trumphobes are second to none. In Los Angeles, […]