Enough Already! More Woe for the High-Speed Rail
Anyone who thinks the high-speed rail project will be completed within the cost figures projected by the rail authority, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Of course, the promise to taxpayers on the cost of the rail was broken ages ago. Remember, voters were told if they supported a nearly $10-billion bond to help […]
Double Down on Smart Government
California Forward was launched a decade ago with significant support from major foundations to be a dynamic and compelling force in transforming government. I was honored to be invited to serve on the original Leadership Council by bi-partisan Co-Chairs Leon Panetta and Tom McKernan. Since then, thousands of California’s have participated in a variety of […]
John Chiang Real Favorite to Succeed Gov. Brown
With the presidential race over and Donald Trump’s inauguration looming, attention in California turns to who will be the top Democratic dog in next year’s election to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown. According to the Chronicle, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom sports “a total of $11.5 million cash on hand,” raising $2.6 million in the second half […]
Brown’s Tiny Projected Budget Deficit Doesn’t Matter
Gov. Brown projects a $1.6 billion budget deficit, and that’s being treated as news. It isn’t. That’s less than 1 percent of the overall state budget, which is volatile because of a broken governing system that Brown declines to fix, on the grounds that fixes are unreasonable. But the deficit is treated as though it […]