Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts

California Governor Approves Benefits For Illegal Aliens

by Jonah Bennett.    Pass Go and collect $200. Thanks to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, millions of dollars of aid will now be available to California’s illegal immigrants, in order to help them navigate the complexities of the legal system, the Washington Post reports. Illegal immigrants have been streaming across the the southern U.S.    ... MORE

Lisa Leff: Marijuana Legalization Effort Begins In California

One less victimless crime in Golden State?   A national marijuana advocacy group took steps Wednesday to begin raising money for a campaign to legalize recreational pot use in California in 2016, a move with potential to add a dose of extra excitement to the presidential election year. The Marijuana Policy Project filed paperwork      ... MORE

California Drivers Brace For Costly New Gas Tax

Tax-happy politicians take aim at auto drivers.      Californians already pay the nation's second highest gas tax at 68 cents a gallon -- and now it will go up again in January to pay for a first-in-the-nation climate change law. "I didn't know that," said Los Angeles motorist Tyler Rich. "It's ridiculous." "I think it’s terrible," added Lupe Sanchez, pumping  ... MORE

The Dark Side Of California's Cell Phone “Kill Switch” Bill

by Jake Laperruque.      This week the California legislature passed a bill that requires all smartphones to include a “kill switch” that can remotely render the device inoperable.  Although created to deter smartphone theft, this kill switch mandate could actually become a nefarious tool co-opted by government to suppress protests.  ...  MORE

Plan To Split California Into Six States Closer To Reality


by Travis H. Brown.     Thanks to the signatures of more than 807,000 concerned Californians, an ambitious idea has moved that much closer to becoming a reality. The “Six Californias” Initiative, sponsored by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, seeks to create areas that are more governable, more productive, and more successful. As I wrote  ... MORE

Nanny Uses California Law To Assist In Home Invasion

by James Nye.      California today, America tomorrow. The first few weeks she was awesome,' said Bracamonte to ABC News about her squatter. 'She would come places with us, help out the kids. She was really great.' But overnight things changed for the stay at home mother and her electrical contractor husband. 'All of a sudden she    ... MORE

California Identifies Unconstitutionality Of Teacher Tenure

by Howard Blume, Stephen Ceasar.  Unions squeal like stuck hogs. The ruling Tuesday by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge that struck down job protections for teachers in California as unconstitutional will undoubtedly spawn a series of appeals that could last years before a final outcome is reached. But some contend that is too long of a ... MORE

Progressives’ Latest Plot to Take Power From the People and Give It to Legislators: Reign In The Initiative Process

by Steven Greenhut.     The people are inconveniencing "our public servants."     Few things have defined California's politics more than the three election reforms championed by the state's 23rd governor – the initiative, the referendum and the recall. Hiram Johnson's system of direct democracy, used early and often in California since 1911,  ... MORE

California Officials Dread Rail Project Trial

by Steven Greenhut.       Those readers who are familiar with Judge Gideon Tucker's words that "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session," might chuckle that two good-news-for-taxpayers stories came out of Sacramento last week. They came, coincidentally, as legislators had left town to enjoy their spring   ... MORE

The Five States Most Likely To Next Legalize Marijuana

by Kimberly Ruble.       Colorado and Washington are the only two states that have passed laws on legally using marijuana but individuals all across the United States are wondering if their state is going to be next. However it takes more than just curiosity. There have to be a combination of factors in place such as polling data, what the     ... MORE

Inside the Corrupt Reality of Government In California

by Steven Greenhut. Incandescent hypocrisy. The only mild complaint against the critically acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad is that the premise is a stretch. It’s hard to imagine a straight-laced high-school chemistry teacher, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and struggling with money problems, becoming a kingpin in the crystal-meth underworld.   ... MORE

J.D. Tuccille: New York And California Suck

For both taxpayers and freedom.     New York and California are the worst and second worst states in terms of tax burden, in what is less than shocking news from the financial website, WalletHub. The ranking tallies annual state and local taxes, and puts the Golden State and the Empire State at the bottom of the heap, with Wyoming and       ... MORE

A Law So Stupid Even California Legislature Recognizes It

by Thomas Lifson.    Politicians try to kill their dumb law. California’s state legislature is seeking to repeal an idiotic law that took effect January 1st.  It turns out that some feel-good regulatory efforts generate enough blowback that they can actually be reversed. Stacy Finz reports in the San Francisco Chronicle: State lawmakers have passed a  ... MORE

Joel Kotkin: Politics Runs Real Energy Out Of California

Banking on expensive alternative energy.         More bleak economic news for the average Joe. The recent decision by Occidental Petroleum to move its headquarters to Houston from Los Angeles, where it was founded over a half-century ago, confirms the futility and delusion embodied in California's ultragreen energy policies.   ... MORE

Steven Greenhut: Will Six Californias Be Better Than One?

Many feel unrepresented by the state legislature.      When most people think of secession, they think of the type of disturbing events unfolding in the Ukraine. But efforts to break up political boundaries could be coming to California, albeit in a laid-back and peaceful manner, as Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper   ... MORE

Petition To Split California Into Six States Gets Green Light

More laboratories of liberty please.       A venture capitalist who feels colossal California is too unwieldy to govern is proposing to split it into six separate states, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen has given him the green light to start collecting petition signatures. Tim Draper filed a ballot initiative in December stating that because of      ... MORE

Cal Law Forces Chefs And Bartenders To Wear Gloves

Alexis Garcia on California's latest idoicy.      No plastic grocery bags, mandated plastic gloves. “This law, which seems to be really focused on the Subways and Chipotles of the market, now affects your most well-trained and experienced chefs who have mastered their craft and have never had any issue,” says Jordan Bernstein, a Los     ... MORE

States Consider A More Libertarian Approach To Crime

by Steven Greenhut.         Leaders in the nation’s two most populous states have waged a rhetorical grudge match over their respective political approaches. In California, dominant Democrats are proud of their efforts to pioneer social and environmental policy. In Texas, majority Republicans boast about their commitment to business     ... MORE