Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2017 State of the State address, given Jan. 24, ignored what most Californians would regard as the state’s two biggest problems: lack of housing affordability and the dismal state of K-12 public schooling. He rhapsodized about how welcoming California is to the immigrants streaming in here: “In California, immigrants are an integral […]

Check out the nearby photo, which I took yesterday, Jan. 22, at 4:57 pm during the weekend deluge. The men in yellow slickers are filling in large potholes in Atlanta Avenue just east of Beach Boulevard, California Highway 39. The yellow light is a flashing caution sign. The rain did not create the potholes, but […]

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 […]

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 […]

For the first time in 30 years of writing on California budgets, I believe revenue projections are way too low in a governor’s January proposal. But that’s OK. Lower revenue expectations certainly mean there’s less chance of overspending, the common problem! Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget, announced Jan. 10 at a press conference, projects a deficit […]

What were they thinking? California Democrats believe they scored a coup when then hired Eric Holder to give them legal counsel. The former attorney general also is a close friend of the president – the one leaving office Jan. 20, not the one moving in. The New York Times quoted Senate President Kevin de León, […]

For the first time in many years I’m optimistic about the economy and politics, even for California. So what’s going to happen in 2017? 1 — Boom times. As I detailed in “Here Comes California Boom Boom” on this site, Trumponomics is going to restore a strong prosperity across America. Although it will be somewhat […]

In politics, as in just about everything, success breeds success. Ronald Reagan’s supply-side tax cuts quickly became the top mantra of Republican candidates. Bill Clinton’s “triangulation,” of shifting to the center, won for Democrats, including President Obama – until Hillary ignored her husband’s advice this year and abandoned the white working-class vote, which won it […]

The U.S. and California economies in 2017 will start growing at a somewhat faster clip than in recent years, according to the 39th Annual Chapman Economic Forecast. It was given Dec.15 at the university before local business and community leaders by recently retired school President Jim Doti, also a top economist. The forecast is among […]