Californians Opposed to Trump’s Immigration Ideas? Poll Results May Surprise You
California’s political leaders, the generals of the so-called Trump resistance, may be surprised that they don’t have as many troops behind them as they imagined according to the new Golden State Poll released by the Hoover Institution. In issues dealing with immigration—sanctuary cities, deportations, and denying immigration from certain countries—the poll showed split support rather […]
Dealing with the Unexpected: CA Democratic Leaders Respond to Trumps’ Win
On election day, as the nation narrowly elected Donald Trump, California voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton — and for Democrats, in general — setting up a battle between the state and the new administration that will likely persist for the next four years. How the state’s leading figures began preparing for that battle — in some cases, […]
Now California Will Get Trumped
When he becomes president on Friday, Donald Trump will take the reins of the most powerful government the world has ever known: 7,000 nuclear weapons; a world-spanning conventional military; a $4 trillion federal budget, that’s $4,000,000,000,000.00; a couple dozen spy and armed domestic enforcement agencies: CIA, FBI, NSA, federal marshals, etc.; vast new powers, of […]
Donald Trump Is Living In My Closet
I have a confession to make: Donald Trump is imprisoned in my closet. He’s been in there for months, and I haven’t dared to let him out, for fear that his presence might be discovered. What’s worse, now that he’s president I’ve come to realize that my treatment of Trump does not conform with the […]
Legislature curbs free speech for ‘worthy’ aims—then come the lawsuits
Back before the internet made it so easy to find a celebrity’s age, a 29-year-old actress landed the role of a 17-year-old girl—and helped propel “Beverly Hills 90210” into a hit TV show in the 1990s. That was the story actress Gabrielle Carteris told state lawmakers last year as she lobbied for a bill to strip actors’ […]
In LA: Taxing Business to Publically Finance Political Campaigns?
A Los Angeles City Councilman wants to get rid of private money in politics by approving a public financing scheme potentially funded by taxing members of the business community. Councilman Mike Bonin, reacting to stories that big time developers try to persuade public officials to support their projects with campaign contributions, thinks its time to […]
Touchdown, San Diego
San Diego is being portrayed as having lost a football team—when in fact, it just won the opportunity to build an even brighter future. Pro football isn’t a good business for a major American city. Having a team mostly just takes money from other entertainment businesses. And dramas over stadiums and stadium financing – and […]
Renewables Have Glaring Obstacles to Overcome for California
Bloomberg is now reporting that solar energy is cheaper than coal, and could become the lowest form of energy within a decade. Economies of scale are causing solar to drop from an average of $1.14 a watt all the way to .73 cents per watt by 2025. This should be great news for California’s overwhelming embrace of […]
Those Proliferating Pensions
California is enjoying a remarkable economic turnaround. Job creation is up, the unemployment rate is down and elected officials are getting raw hands from all the back patting they’re doing. But there’s one problem a lot of folks are overlooking: Generous public-sector pensions up and down the state remain hugely underfunded. It’s an immense and […]