Obscure agency is state’s best defense against offshore drilling
Florida escaped from President Trump’s plan to sell new offshore oil drilling leases because it has a Republican governor who called in a favor. There...
California Focus
GOP retirements might just complicate life for Democrats
Democrats were gloating in mid-January, almost assuming victories in two once-solidly Republican California congressional districts and figuring that could help assure their retaking control of...
Climate change and the coming fire insurance crisis
Climate change, if you ask most state experts, has already created a wildfire crisis in California. In the process, it’s causing a fire insurance predicament....
Will electric freedom suffer a major delay?
The California Public Utilities Commission giveth, but the same benighted agency much more often taketh away. At least from consumers. In December, this five-member commission...
Fire ruling has immediate effect on state’s utilities
Under intense political pressure at the same time bone-dry Santa Ana and Sundowner winds propelled unchecked wildfires across Southern California in early December, the California...
Now we’ll see what transparency can do
California will be exploring new ground as the impending election year builds to its climax in early November. For the first time ever, big donors...
Tax ‘reforms’ could hit housing, wider economy
It’s already well established that the tax “reforms” now being hashed out in secret by a joint committee of Republicans from the Senate and the...
Will top-two ‘jungle primary’ aid Feinstein?
Strong irony is in the air as California heads into the hot political year of 2018, with an initiative to end the state’s “top two”...
No punishment for corruption under Brown
On the day Gov. Jerry Brown returned to his office after 12 days wandering around Europe preaching the ills of climate change and the current...
The hypocrisy in California votes for GOP tax ‘reform’
Hypocrisy is nothing new in politics – or anywhere else in human activity, for that matter. But it’s become a lot more visible lately as...
Proposition 54: A ballot initiative that worked
There’s nothing politicians and lobbyists in this state hate more than the ballot initiative process to which they all pay hypocritical verbal homage every chance...
Another big utility under suspicion in fire disasters
As disastrous and deadly wildfires raged through once-lovely residential areas in the Wine Country and other Northern California points this fall, there were signs that...
High time for PUC to fix San Onofre ‘settlement’
The California Public Utilities Commission now says it wants closure on its most contentious, most questionable decision of the last few decades. This comes more...
Age a big factor as younger Democrats circle Feinstein
Feinstein is anything but new to challenge....
Key amendment reduced potential of moved-up vote
If any of this year’s legislative bills was a no-brainer for easy passage and then approval by Gov. Jerry Brown, it was Senate Bill 568....