A brief procedure in a San Francisco courtroom this month was a blast from California’s political past. Terry Goggin, a former Democratic state assemblyman, pleaded guilty to federal charges that he had misused money that investors gave him to expand Goggin’s coffee shop chain. Prosecutors said Goggin, 78, admitted deceiving investors in...
Walters: California's Half-a-Loaf Syndrome
Joe Mathews, another guy who makes his living by scribbling about California, penned a very perceptive article recently about the state’s proclivity for not following through on policy pronouncements. “California is stuck in the gray zone,” Mathews wrote, referring to “a military term for the space between peace and war… “In California...
Californians Aren’t Getting the Mental Health Care They’re Legally Guaranteed. Why Not?
State Sen. Jim Beall is angry. Four times now, he has introduced legislation to better enforce state and federal “parity” laws, which require equal treatment of mental and physical health problems. Four times, that legislation has failed. As he enters his final year in the Legislature, the San Jose Democrat...
Forest Thinning to Stop Wildfires as Strong as Weakest Link
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS — Buzzing chainsaws are interrupted by the frequent crash of breaking branches as crews fell towering trees and clear tangled brush in the densely forested Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco. Their goal: To protect communities such as Redwood Estates, where giant redwoods loom over the...
California Commission Lists Yellow-Legged Frog as Endangered
SACRAMENTO — There’s new hope for an endangered California frog that has vanished from half of its habitat. The state Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday approved protections for five of six populations of the foothill yellow-legged frog. The Center for Biological Diversity had sought protection for the stream-dwelling amphibians...
Baby Ejected From Car Window in Turlock Crash, Survives
TURLOCK — A baby in a car seat that was ejected from a car in when it crashed last weekend survived with only minor injuries, police said. Six-week-old Ezra Benitez was in a sport utility vehicle that crashed Sunday in Turlock and flipped several times, the California Highway Patrol said....
Authorities Say Delano Inmate Knocked Guard Unconscious
DELANO — An inmate at a Valley prison knocked out a guard and another officer suffered a broken hand before the prisoner was subdued, corrections officials said Wednesday. Traymar Robinson, 23, was handcuffed and placed in segregated custody as official investigate the alleged attack at North Kern State Prison in...
Walters: One Tax Measure Goes Away
Proposition 13, California’s iconic property tax limit, was overwhelmingly approved by California voters 41 years ago and for at least 40 of those years, efforts have been mounted to repeal or change it. Initially, it was attacked in the courts, but survived. Thereafter, pro-spending interest groups — public employee unions,...
California Considers Calling THC in Pot a Risk to Moms-to-Be
LOS ANGELES — More than three years after California voters broadly legalized marijuana, a state panel is considering if its potent, high-inducing chemical — THC — should be declared a risk to pregnant women and require warnings. Studies have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana...
Walters: An Epic Capitol Power Struggle Recalled
Exactly 40 years ago today, a political power struggle erupted in the California Assembly, one that lasted nearly a year and fundamentally altered the Capitol’s culture. Many of today’s legislators weren’t even born when Assemblyman Howard Berman, the majority floor leader, abruptly demanded that Assembly Speaker Leo McCarthy step down...