Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association. (Photo: Tim Foster)Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, sat down with Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about ways to cut health care costs, including a new experiment in Maryland that seeks to replace per-patient payments with a single annual payment designed to focus on keeping patients healthier.
Pedestrians crossing Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. (Photo: Sean Pavone, Shutterstock) OPINION: Back in 2012, then Treasurer Bill Lockyer called for an early warning system that would give state officials time to proactively address local government fiscal emergencies before they wound up in bankruptcy court. We are now five years closer to the next recession and its attendant set of local government financial crises, but the state has made little progress toward implementing Lockyer’s proposed system.
Republican Congressman Darrel Issa of Vista. (Photo: House of Representatives)This is Darrell Issa country: The 49th Congressional District runs along the coast from southern Orange County to northern San Diego County. Its proximity to military bases such as Camp Pendleton, a substantial retirement community and other demographic factors have made the district a longtime Republican stronghold. But the nature of the district is changing and he may face a significant reelection fight this year from Democrat Doug Applegate, a retired Marine Corps officer and a lawyer.
CalPERS' headquarters in Sacramento. (Photo: Coolcaesar/en.wikipedia)Calpensions: After the CalPERS staff gave the board a correction last week for providing misinformation about private equity fees, the board member who has been grilling staff on the issue walked out of a private staff meeting because he was not allowed to record it.
Michael Peevey at a December meeting of the state Public Utilities Commission. (Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)It’s almost impossible these days to see the name Michael Peevey without the word “embattled” attached to it. Peevey stepped down last December after serving two six-year terms on the California Public Utilities Commission, almost all of them as PUC president. He has been subjected to withering public criticism up and down the state for fostering a too-cozy relationship between the PUC and the utility firms he was charged with regulating, most recently Pacific Gas & Electric. “Don’t shoot, I surrender,” Peevey wryly told the commission at its December meeting, a comment that drew laughs.