Politics and Elections

Reviewing Arnold’s Disaster
Sunday, November 28th, 2010
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NOV. 28, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger keeps insisting he's not a lame duck, he is. As he leaves office, the best biography of him so far has come out, "The Governator: From Muscle Beach to His Quest for the White House, the Improbable Rise of Arnold Schwarzenegge...

Thanksgiving for California
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
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Thank you for your wine, California, Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits. -- "Sweet Virginia," by The Rolling Stones NOV. 23, 2010 By JOHN SEILER California has a lot of problems, with the budget, unemployment and all. But with Thanksgiving this week, I thought I'd list some of t...

Expect More Population Flight
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
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NOV. 2, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Given the predictably one-sided recent election results in California, a new trend may be soon emerging called “red flight” to describe the rapid mass out-migration of residents from cities and counties that are insolvent due to an inability to meet publi...

If GOP Fails, 3rd Party Will Rise
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
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OCT. 28, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, has taken a long, strange journey to veteran status in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he could soon be heading the House Committee on Science and Technology. He's campaigning for easy re-election in the heavi...

Brown Ignored Union Bill’s Warnings
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
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OCT. 19, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO One of the few actual, honest issues in the California governor’s race has also been one of the least reported. And while it’s an old issue – dating back to 1977 – it’s nonetheless fascinating. “Back when Jerry Brown was governor nearly 35 ...

San Fran Is Pension Ground Zero
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
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SEPT. 28, 2010 By DAVE ROBERTS SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco’s 26,000 city government employees have had it pretty good for many years – so good that city officials have had to cut services and could be looking at eventual bankruptcy if the generous health and pension benefits continue fl...

Taxation Without Representation?
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
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SEPT. 22, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO If you’re a politician, pundit or just political junkie, chances are redistricting is on your mind. There are two measures on this year’s ballot dealing with redistricting – Proposition 20, which would create a citizens’ commission to draw new co...

Ashburn: GOP Needs Freedom Focus
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Roy Ashburn

SEPT. 21, 2010 By KATY GRIMES A recurring question during a meeting last week with Sen. Roy Ashburn was did he leave the Republican Party or did it leave him? Ashburn thinks that what he once knew as “the Freedom Party” has greatly changed, but is salvageable. I met with Ashburn las...

Arnold’s seven wasted years
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
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SEPT. 7, 2010 By JOHN SEILER With Labor Day marking the traditional beginning of the campaign season, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's seven years as governor of California essentially are behind us. He will still have influence on the fiscal 2010-10 state budget, now almost three months behin...

Whitman’s impenetrable bureaucracy
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
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SEPT. 1, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO The Meg Whitman for Governor Campaign is like the Pentagon – or possibly even the NORAD command bunker – of political operations. Its headquarters in Cupertino is highly secured, with all access absolutely restricted. Staffers, except those specifical...