State's Unions Win Another Court Battle
The state worker furlough situation is getting curiouser and curiouser. Yesterday Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that furloughed workers are entitled to back pay due to the furloughs, and ordered the state to “cease and desist the furlough
Read MoreWill "Going Green" Backfire?
With nearly every politician — from city councils to state legislators, governors and congress – embracing green technology as the cause du jour, they don’t realize that with every bill signed, they may be actually killing the industry. It’s kind
Read MoreSilly Bills
Sensitive as I am to the plight of the California legislator during such a difficult economic time, the need to abandon said sensitivity and ask “what are you thinking?” is taking over. Senator Dean Florez has introduced two new bills,
Read MoreParents Able To Close Failing Schools
The Los Angeles-based group Parent Revolution, pushed hard to pass a new law called the “parent trigger.” The new law requires school districts to make dramatic changes to a school if 51% the parents vote on the change(s). Parents could call for
Read MoreAssembly, Senate embrace filing rule
Feb. 19, 2010 By ELISE VIEBECK After a unanimous vote by the Assembly this week, a small administrative code revision will absolve state agencies of complying with reporting requirements deemed unnecessary or obsolete. The law, previously approved by a 35-0
Read MoreIncentives eyed to spur job growth
Feb. 18, 2010 By KATY GRIMES In spite of the federal stimulus money invested in California, unemployment is still in double digits and will remain so for a couple more years, according to state economic experts. Consequently, talk of jobs
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AB 32 cargo cult
You’ve probably heard of cargo cults. Wikipedia has a good definition: A cargo cult is a type of religious practice that may appear in traditional tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults are focused
Read MoreJessica's Law flaws debated
Feb. 17, 2010 By ELISE VIEBECK Officials at a Senate hearing yesterday questioned the effectiveness of Jessica’s Law, the 2006 ballot initiative passed to reduce recidivism among paroled sex offenders. Critics say that for all its popularity — the measure
Read MoreState pushes costly new water standard
Feb. 10, 2010 By JT LONG California water agencies face a groundbreaking proposal to eradicate — at what could be a high cost to ratepayers — all but trace levels of hexavalent chromium, the industrial byproduct made famous by the
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