Democrats make up a solid majority of the Legislature, but they do not agree on everything. A band of business-friendly Democrats has gained enough clout to buck more liberal Democrats on some environmental issues. Campaign spending by EdVoice, an advocacy group that supports charter schools and tying student test scores to teacher evaluations, reveals an
In an understated – and long-expected – announcement, state Treasurer John Chiang opened his campaign for governor Tuesday, casting himself as a fiscal steward amid a field of higher-profile Democrats. Chiang, 53, created a campaign account, issued a news release and then said in a tweet, “It’s official.” Chiang’s candidacy had been expected for months,
More than 25 years after the first Jamba Juice shop opened in San Luis Obispo, the owner of the smoothie company announced plans to move its headquarters from California to Texas within eight months. Jamba Inc. will close its Emeryville, Calif., office and establish a new corporate home in Frisco, Texas, about 30 miles north
Wall Street Journal, May 11 The U.S. is experiencing a baby lull that looks set to last for years, a shift demographers say will likely ripple through the U.S. economy and have an impact on everything from maternity wards to federal social programs. U.S. births have edged up modestly since 2013, a trend likely to
New Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon doesn’t believe the emergence of a less-liberal, more pro-business wing of his big Democratic caucus is going to set off a high-visibility war among Democrats. “I don’t know if the party has ever been monolithic,” Rendon said in a telephone interview. “We’ve always been a big-tent party, with a diversity
As anti-establishment fervor sweeps the nation this election season – forcing the son of a former president to abandon his campaign for the White House – a contrary trend has taken hold in the California Capitol: political dynasties are going strong. Gov. Jerry Brown, the son of a former governor, has occupied the governor’s office
California, whose state budget is highly dependent on volatile income taxes, is the least able big state to withstand a recession, according to a “stress test” conducted by Moody’s Investor Service. Arch-rival Texas, meanwhile, scores the highest on the test because of “lower revenue volatility, healthier reserves relative to a potential revenue decline scenario and
For nearly two decades, Los Vaqueros Reservoir -- a sprawling lake in eastern Contra Costa County nearly 3 miles long and 170 feet deep -- has been a popular spot for boating, fishing, hiking and a key source of water for local residents. But now, after years of drought and new money available from a
Three environmentalist groups filed a lawsuit alleging that to increase water flowing to farms and cities, state and federal regulators in the drought have repeatedly relaxed water-quality standards on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the detriment of its wild fish species. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco claims the U.S. Environmental
Two members of the state board that will play a crucial role in the fate of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two giant tunnels through the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta rebuffed demands from a south state water agency that they disqualify themselves from upcoming hearings on the issue. On Monday, State Water