I've finally figured out the reason for the annual dance between whoever occupies the governor's office and California State University system leaders. For those unfamiliar with the Sacramento Three-Step, it works like this. First step: The governor low-balls funding for increased enrollment. Second step: The CSU chancellor and the 23...
Chevron Ordered to Halt Oil Spill in Kern County
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators say Chevron has not done enough to stop a massive oil spill that dumped about 800,000 gallons of crude oil and water into a Kern County canyon, and they want the company to take further action to halt the flow. The seep out of the...
Walters: Another Dicey Utility Overhaul
Californians should always be skeptical when their politicians overhaul the state’s electrical utility system while promising more efficient, less polluting, and reasonably priced service. Californians get their juice from a mélange of “investor-owned” and municipally operated utilities. Inevitably, micromanagement of such a complex system via legislation and regulatory agencies becomes...
Pence: California Health Care Expansion Will Boost Human Trafficking
Vice President Mike Pence worries that a new California law extending health care to illegal immigrants will weaken the border. Pence reacted to California Gov. Gavin Newsom signing SB 104 into law on Tuesday. The bill extends taxpayer-funded health benefits to all low-income Californians 25 or under, regardless of immigration...
Quakes Alert Californians to be Ready for Dreaded 'Big One'
RIDGECREST — Shaken residents are cleaning up from two of the biggest earthquakes to rattle California in decades as scientists warn that both should serve as a wake-up call to be ready when the long-dreaded "Big One" strikes. California is spending more than $16 million to install thousands of quake-detecting...
Walters: Is California a Shining Example or Third-World State?
Recent weeks have seen a debate of sorts about the image and reality of contemporary California. Is it, as Gov. Gavin Newsom contends, a nation-state proving that economic prosperity, multiculturism, and social progress can advance together? “California is what America is going to look like,” he told a television interviewer....
Walters: Newsom's Housing Deal Just a Baby Step
Every Californian should be aware by now that the state’s housing shortage not only causes personal angst for millions of the state’s residents, but is a key factor in its economic future. The latter was underscored last month in an analysis of the state’s employment picture by Christopher Thornberg, founder...
Starting Today, Gas Tax Takes Another Big Bite at the Pump
SACRAMENTO — California's nation-leading gas prices are set to climb even higher Monday, when the state gas tax increases another 5.6 cents a gallon. It's the latest increase from a 2017 law designed to raise about $5 billion a year for road and mass transit programs. The total tax on...
Cities, Counties Could be Punished for Dragging Feet on Housing
SACRAMENTO — Faced with a crippling housing shortage that is driving prices up while putting more people on the streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislative leaders agreed Thursday on a plan to reward local governments that make it easier to build more housing faster and punish those that don't....
Video: All You Need to Know About State Budget in 2 Minutes
A few things about summertime in California have become utterly predictable: cineplex superheroes, beach crowds, and a record-setting state budget. Two years ago, we told you the state’s budget hit $180 billion—and that with that money you could buy the Los Angeles Lakers 60 times over. Last summer, the state budget set...