California embarked on a “grand experiment” in 2011 with a massive prison downsizing. Responding to a 2009 order by a federal three-judge panel, California had to reduce its overpopulated prisons by 25 percent within two years. This amounted to a reduction of nearly 46,000 prisoners, within a very short time period. The state appealed but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the mandate in May 2011, in a 5-4 decision. In a dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said it was “perhaps the most radical injunction issued by a court in our nation’s history.”

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Yet another feminism-based bill by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, claims to “close the wage gap that women face at work.” So far, SB 358 has passed the Senate on a unanimous vote, 38-0, and now the Assembly with full Republican support. Republicans voted for this drivel. The bill also has the support of the California Chamber of Commerce.

This is a profoundly bad bill that has nothing whatsoeverto do with equal pay for equal work.

According to Jackson’s Senate website:

“Senate Bill 358, the California Fair Pay Act, would ensure that women are paid equally for work that is substantially similar to the work of their male colleagues, and do not face retaliation if they discuss or ask how much their male colleagues are paid. If signed into law, it would be the strongest equal pay law in the nation.

‘Equal pay isn’t just the right thing for women, it’s the right thing for our economy and for… Read More

With the dozens of stories I’ve written about the bold fight of farm workers at Gerawan Farming against unionization by the United Farm Workers labor union, and the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, a couple of recent letters synopsized the shocking series of events.

The attorney for the workers, Paul Bauer, penned two letters to ALRB Regional Director Silas Shawver, outlining events, and laying out a clear case for conflicts of interest by the attorneys at the ALRB.

I’ve reported on the Gerawan workers since Spring 2013, including the November 5, 2013 decertification election. Because the Gerawan workers likely voted to decertify the UFW, Shawver and Sylvia Torres Guillen, both attorneys with the ALRB, locked up the ballots and refused to count them, claiming there was some… Read More

The Associated Press released a report this week which found that a fraction of the promised jobs have been created following passage of the 2012 Proposition 39, by billionaire hedge-fund manager and green-jobs shill Tom Steyer. Prop. 39 is bringing in millions less each year than initially projected, according to the AP. “Proponents told voters in 2012 that it would send up to $550 million annually to the Clean Jobs Energy Fund. But it brought in just $381 million in 2013, $279 million in 2014 and $313 million in 2015,” the AP reported.

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As the California Legislature returned from summer recess yesterday, top on most political insiders’ minds is Gov. Jerry Brown’s special legislative session to increase taxes through approval of a group of transportation bills. Brown and Democrats claim the tax increases are needed ostensibly to improve California’s deplorable roads and crumbling bridges, long neglected by Caltrans. However, it was Brown who failed to properly fund transportation needs through the new budget –the largest state budget in California history.

Sen. John Moorlach R-Costa Mesa, says the “transportation” special session… Read More

Since 1976, Lake Superior University annually publishes a “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.” A few of the obnoxious, overused words on the 2015 list include “polar vortex,” “takeaway,” and “foodie.” “Wasn’t it called ‘winter’ just a few years ago?” one student asked.“It’s ridiculous. Do we call people who like wine ‘winies’ or beer lovers ‘beeries’?” asked another.I love semantics.

But from the “you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” file, in 2013, Big Brother officials in Seattlecalled for a ban on “potentially offensive” language. Government workers in Seattle were told that the words “citizen” and “brown bag” were deemed “potentially offensive” and would no longer be used in official documents and discussions. Seattle officials also said the word “citizen” was banned “because many people who live… Read More

When politicians crash and burn, they create diversionary tactics to disguise their failures. A perfect example is California Gov. Jerry Brown, and his impious policy on climate change. Just a few days ago, California Gov. Jerry Brown said the Lake County wildfire is evidence that global warming already has created dangerous conditions in California. Yet, if the climate really hasn’t really changed in twenty years, and the rainfall is actually normal (four of five years historically are below average, with one in five ‘wet’, according to a scientist friend) how does Brown get away with this garbage?

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Californians on vacation in recent weeks may not be aware that their Governor Jerry Brown attended a conference about climate change on July 21-22, 2015at the Vatican, with Pope Francis in attendance. In addition to arranging for the attendance of Governor Brown, the Vatican also invited mayors of cities “of international importance” to attend the conference.

The mayors of San Francisco and San Jose accepted their invitations, along with mayors from eight other American cities. (The Mayor of Los Angeles did not attend but participated in a joint statement of support.) All attendees were Democrats, although the Vatican claimed that Republican mayors had been invited but declined.

Governor Brown also attended, and he came bearing a gift from the… Read More