AUG. 29, 2011 Much of California's public schools are mommy, daddy and nanny to a growing number of socially inept children. But even with the new parents, far too many children are still ill-prepared for college, the workplace or adulthood. “My own research shows that there generally is a n...
August, 2011CA Schools Decline Even FurtherMonday, August 29th, 2011Pensions Need Accurate Rate of ReturnSunday, August 28th, 2011AUG. 29, 2011 When the taxpayer is backing up the entire liability for the pensions received by members of the California Public Employees Retirement System, then CalPERS officials are exuberant about the stock market. They insist that a predicted rate of return of 7.75 percent is perfectly reali... Money Down the Subway HoleThursday, August 25th, 2011 AUG. 25, 2011 Nearly $1 billion per mile. That’s more expensive than a manned space mission to Mars. But that’s how much San Francisco’s Central Subway is expected to cost. The “infrastructure” project, which is to be the latest addition to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, was orig... Villaraigosa Pushes Split-Roll TaxMonday, August 22nd, 2011 Aug. 22, 2011 Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's speech Tuesday at the Sacramento Press Club left many reporters wondering what the mayor is doing and what he is running for next. It seems odd for an L.A. mayor to fly to Sacramento and give a speech detailing a so-called "grand new vision" ... Sacramento Council FolliesFriday, August 19th, 2011 AUG 19, 2011 Sacramento’s City Council has not had a great few months -- or a great year. Even the past couple of years have been really disastrous. The eight council members and mayor have lost four city managers in only 18 months, bamboozled citizens with their redistricting plan, hired an un... Happy Cost of Government Day!Thursday, August 18th, 2011 Aug. 18, 2011 There’s good news today for the average California worker: You’re finally laboring for yourself this year. From January 1 to August 18, you were working to earn enough gross income to pay your share of the spending and regulatory burden imposed by local government, state gove... Fury Over Police Beating-DeathMonday, August 15th, 2011 AUG. 15, 2011 A new cable TV police series, "Against The Wall," is about a woman from a family of Chicago police officers who becomes a detective in the department's Internal Affairs unit. This causes outrage among her police brothers and father, who view such internal oversight as treasonous. I ... CA ‘Green’ Subsidies Grow Like the BlobFriday, August 12th, 2011 AUG. 12, 2011 By KATY GRIMES California's green and clean-energy programs continue to expand like the Blob. But many people finally are recognizing that the demand for green energy retrofits and upgrades is less driven by ideology than need -- almost entirely. Last week the Assembly Select ... Could a Gas Explosion Strike Again?Friday, August 12th, 2011AUG. 12, 2011 A culture of complacency still exists after the Sept. 9, 2010 natural-gas explosion in San Bruno, in which eight people were killed and a neighbored leveled. Seventy homes sustained damage and 18 homes adjacent to the destroyed dwellings were left uninhabitable. In October, t... Environmentalists Eclipse Solar EnergyWednesday, August 10th, 2011 AUGUST 10, 2011 PV2 Energy, a San Francisco-based company, plans to build a $1.8 billion 399-megawatt solar farm in Panoche Valley, 50 miles southeast of Hollister in rural San Benito County. It’s the kind of renewable energy project the state of California wants to see more of, as opposed to e... |