Posts Tagged: government

News

‘Green rush’ stalled in tiny Nipton?

Welcome to Nipton, a tiny California town in the Mojave Desert. (Photo: Screen capture, CNN)

It appears that a company’s plans to turn a remote San Bernardino County town into a marijuana tourism mecca may go up in smoke. Earlier this month, Arizona-based American Green announced it purchased the entire California town of Nipton for about $5 million to make it a hub of cannabis production mixed with bed-and-breakfast lodging and attractions like mineral baths.

Opinion

The pitfalls of overregulation

A power plant in Manhattan Beach, shortly after its 2012 opening. (Photo: Luc Mena)

OPINION: Recognizing the need to reduce the burdens of overregulation to spur our nation’s economy, Congress put on the top of their legislative agenda the REINS Act, which would require the House and Senate to approve any major regulation before it can go into effect. California — no stranger to abundant regulations and the increasing consolidation of power in state agencies promulgating an ever-growing list of major regulations — must also rein in overregulation the way Congress is trying to do to revitalize job creation throughout our state.

Opinion

SB 32 hits the pocketbook

A powerplant at sunset. (Photo: David Crockett)

OPINION: Last week, politicians congratulated themselves on passing SB 32 – the climate change bill that aggressively extends and expands greenhouse gas emission reductions for the next 13 years—until 2030. Unfortunately, for Californians like you and me, this bill will result in ever-increasing cost burdens on businesses and employees throughout the state.

Opinion

Virginia corruption case may resonate in California

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at a GOP fund raising event for Mitt Romney. (Photo: Mavrick, Shutterstock)

OPINION: The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to vacate the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has implications for California and its anti-corruption statute. The trial jury found that McDonnell performed official acts in exchange for gifts. But the Supreme Court decided that the jury was incorrectly instructed on the definition of the “official act” element of the federal corruption statute.

Recent News

State urges feds to OK immigrants’ health coverage

A physician flanked by the California flag. (Illustration: Niyazz, via Shutterstock).

Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in California would be able to buy insurance through the state healthcare coverage marketplace if the federal government accepts a newly signed state law to exempt them from the federal rule. On June 10, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring Covered California to ask the federal government for a waiver to let an estimated 390,000 undocumented immigrants buy health insurance – as long as they do it with their own money.

News

Politico sets sights on Sacramento

A screen-capture image from Politico's Twitter feed.

Politico, a Washington, D.C.-based news outlet, plans to expand its California presence by adding 34 full-time employees by the end of next year and an additional seven by 2020, according to state business officials.

News

A Capitol dispute over disclosure

A photo illustration of an ad campaign program on a laptop. (Photo: Tashatuvango, via Shutterstock)

California’s political watchdog, which fights to reveal the political money trail, is opposing legislation that appears to do exactly that. The Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces campaign rules, has come out against two bills aimed at disclosure.

Analysis

CA120: California, here you come

Illustration by Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly.

Yes, this could be happening. California, despite holding its primary presidential election in June and being a (somewhat) proportional state, could matter in the Democratic nomination process. And it will almost certainly provide the final big set of Republican delegates that could give Donald Trump the 1,237 he needs for the nomination — or deny him and ensure a contested GOP convention.

News

State bets $30 million on new cancer treatment

A scientist works in a biological laboratory. (Photo: Anya Ivanova, via Shutterstock)

A new stem cell company that targets cancer by unleashing an “eat me” trigger has emerged from a $30 million investment by the state of California. Creation of the Palo Alto firm, which is called Forty Seven, Inc., was announced Feb. 24 by its backers and its key researcher, Irv Weissman, director of Stanford University’s stem cell program.

Opinion

California lags in embracing IT

Voluminous data displayed on a computer monitor. (Photo: Dimitri Nikolaev)

Information technology has been a key driver of productivity growth in the private sector, as evidenced by the fact that companies that have invested the most in computers, software, and communications grew their employees’ output per hour three times faster than other companies. Unfortunately, it appears that most state governments, including California, lag behind and are more like those companies that have invested less in IT.

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