“Plan B” for Rail Always Made More Sense
In reporting on the move by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to scrutinize the high speed rail, Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton mentioned a “Plan B” for rail discussed by the proponents of the audit request, Democratic Senator Jim Beall and Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson. The idea is to run a rail from the San […]
ICE Takes on CA Sanctuary Cities
The sudden unleashing of an army of federal immigration agents on dozens of northern California businesses suspected of hiring illegal workers signals a new chapter in the federal government’s declaration of war against California. Though no arrests have been made—at least not yet—these surprise raids are reminiscent of storm-trooper tactics in third world countries when […]
Give Coachella to the Canadians
Let’s give the Coachella Valley to Canada. After all, Canadians already run the place in winter. Over the past 40 years, snowbirds from the True North have grown into a winter fixture in greater Palm Springs. They get a lot more than an escape from cold winter weather. The California desert is a much shorter […]
Commentary: Surging pension costs push more California cities toward bankruptcy
From one end of California to the other, hundreds of cities are facing a tsunami of pension costs that officials say is forcing them to reduce vital services and could drive some—perhaps many—into functional insolvency or even bankruptcy. The system that manages pension plans for the state government and thousands of local governments lost a […]