A town hall meeting in Claremont that focused on water issues. (Photo: City of Claremont.)A Southern California city has launched eminent domain proceedings to take over the private water agency that has served the community for more than 80 years – an unusual move, even in California, where fights over water are common.
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Gov. Jerry Brown at ceremonies in Fresno launching construction of California's bullet train. (Photo: Associated Press)Governor Jerry Brown continues to receive strong approval from voters in California. The results of the latest Field Poll find nearly 56% of the state’s voters approving of Brown’s performance in office, while 32% disapprove. When asked to consider three negative statements that have been made about the Governor, a 57% majority agrees with one of them – “favors too many big government projects that the state cannot afford right now.”
The Mokulumne River. Photo: Mountain Counties Water Resources Association)A provision in California’s landmark 2014 Water Bond Act, Proposition 1, might lead California into overspending on water, something that has drawn concerns from the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal adviser.
Congressional districts in the Inland Empire, approved by California's redistricting commission in 2011. (Map: Ballotpedia)ANALYSIS: A case before the U.S. Supreme Court, with arguments set to be heard on March 2, could reduce the role of the State Redistricting Commission, invalidate the 2011 Congressional lines, and hand to the legislature the immediate responsibility of redrawing 53 valuable seats.
State Attorney General Kamala Harris has approved the sale of six nonprofit Catholic health facilities to a controversial buyer under “strong conditions to ensure continued community access to essential healthcare services.”
Youngsters in a California classroom. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The health of California’s evolving and global 21st century economy depends on a skilled workforce. Yet, there are too few qualified applicants to create talent pools for jobs that fuel our economic growth. And while STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs in the state are projected to grow 22 percent by 2020, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that in 2011, 75 percent of California’s 8th graders were not proficient in national math standards.
Field Poll: Two individuals in this test receive the highest levels of potential voter support. They are Republican Condoleezza Rice, former U. S. Secretary of State (49%) and Democratic State Attorney General Kamala Harris (46%). Harris is the only person to date to have formally announced her candidacy in the Senate race.
The state Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: AMadScientist, via Wikimedia)Legislators may serve a maximum of twelve years in the Legislature. Someone could serve six, two-year terms in the Assembly, or three, four-year terms in the Senate, or some combination of terms in both houses. This system replaced a more chaotic term limits system of six years in the Assembly and eight years in the Senate, which resulted in Assembly members constantly seeking to “jump” from the Assembly to the Senate in what fairly can be described as a non-stop series of elections and musical chairs.
California voters at the polls in Ventura County, 2012. (Photo: American Spirit, via Shutterstock)Some 2.6 million of California’s eligible voters — about one in nine — speak only limited English and many of them can’t get election information in their native languages, a problem that is playing out in low turnout numbers for Asians and Latinos, according to a new study.