Inside GovernmentAmerican Dream Goin’ SouthMonday, May 21st, 2012 May 22, 2012 By John Seiler People naturally move from depressed countries to thriving countries. That's especially true when travel between the two countries is easy, as it is between the United States and Mexico. Because so many Mexicans have come to the United States, pressures have rise... Legislature attacks California property rightsFriday, May 18th, 2012May 18, 2012 By Katy Grimes A bill was passed by the Assembly Thursday which would allow a newly created, protected class of individuals to legally hide ownership of property by claiming a public safety classification. By hiding their ownership information, these individuals would be ab... Book Review: The higher Street to public managementMonday, May 14th, 2012 May 14, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi When I first started working for Los Angeles County government decades ago, it was what might have been called “republican” (with a small “r”). Decision-making was delegated down to the managerial and supervisorial level. Generally speaking, managers ... Legislature works to limit free speech of corporationsWednesday, May 9th, 2012 May 9, 2012 By Katy Grimes The U.S. Constitution is under attack again. At issue is the controversial Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission U.S. Supreme Court decision. It basically allowed unlimited corporate contributions to political campaigns. Two Assembly Democrats autho... Dems stonewall accountability for LegislatureFriday, April 27th, 2012 April 26, 2012 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- If revenge is a dish best served cold, it’s downright arctic in the California Legislature. Two members of the Assembly just found out how frosty politics can be when there is a chilling, and deliberate betrayal of trust. Assemblywoman S... Dem maneuver in Legislature could slam housing marketFriday, April 20th, 2012April 20, 2012 By Katy Grimes Democratic Leaders in the Legislature have figured out a clever way to bypass the legislative committee process, in order to ensure the results they want. This latest legislative trickery and rule manipulation created quite a stir at the state Capitol Thursday. ... What Arnold’s memoirs need: A chapter on his betrayal of CaliforniaMonday, April 16th, 2012April 16, 2012 By Chris Reed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s offbeat request last week on his Facebook page for the public to tell him what to write about in his pending memoirs got the result he wanted: lots of attention. “More than 2,000 people responded: Talk about bodybuilding, your childho... Supreme Court gives a break to employers and workersFriday, April 13th, 2012 April 13, 2012 By Katy Grimes California employers have been regulated and mandated to the point of ridiculousness -- and unprofitability. But a California Supreme Court decision this week finally gives employers a break—while still giving employees a break. Resolving the increasing unce... Legislators Shame Even Dick and JaneFriday, March 23rd, 2012 MAR. 23, 2012 By KATY GRIMES Political gamesmanship is as old as man and politics. The levels of gamesmanship, however, can either remain at mere power struggles and turf wars, or escalate to abuses of power. With 78 empty budget bills now in the hands of the legislative Democrats, many at ... Revving Up Higher Property TaxesTuesday, March 20th, 2012MARCH 20, 2012 By KATY GRIMES Every year the Legislature attempts to rewrite Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot initiative that successfully returned property value assessments to 1975 levels, limited property taxes to 1 percent of assessed valuation and capped annual property tax increases to 2... |