Anthony Pignataro: There's no legislative session right now, but the Capitol halls are buzzing with a single word: BUDGET. This year's was 100 days late and almost instantly $6 billion in the red. Governor-elect Jerry Brown has been holding sober forums across the state, talking about the pain an...

Steven Greenhut: California legislators sponsor a "There Ought To Be A Law Contest" to get ideas from constituents and students on, er, the new laws the state ought to have. Even some good solid Republicans go for this nonsense. We've often joked on our staff about the need for a contest on what law...

Steven Greenhut: California counties are getting a shocking Christmas gift from the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) in the form of an updated actuarial report for the retirement system. Of course, pension liabilities are soaring, which will further stress county budgets. ...

Katy Grimes: The highly questionable sale of 11 state-owned properties hit another snag on Monday after being given the go-ahead last week. A California Appeals Court halted the sale yesterday after a Superior Court Judge just last Friday, had approved the sale. The lawsuit was brought by three ...

Anthony Pignataro: Just for fun, see how many cliches, euphemisms, idioms and just plain hackneyed catch-phrases you can find in the following press release, sent out today by the California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative in honor of their new "strategic plan," which is endorsed by Assemb...

Anthony Pignataro: The United States today has about 2.3 million people in jail and prison -- roughly 754 per 100,000 residents. Put into a global context, the U.S. holds about 5 percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prisoners. This is, according to this new report by th...