Freshman mayor Kevin Johnson has been pushing an aggressive move to make the Capitol City a Strong-Mayor town. This has divided the city and its council, but had generated sufficient support to place it before the city's voters in June 2010.
Now a union-backed group is challenging the measure on [...]
A number of landmarks were reached in council rotations this week. Perhaps the most notable was in the Bay Area city of Campbell, in which Councilman Evan Low, 26, was rotated into the mayor's seat, thereby becoming the nation's youngest openly gay, and youngest Asian, mayor. Read more in the [...]
Reports out of the Capitol have John Perez (D- LA) holding enough votes to succeed Karen Bass as Assembly Speaker. If successful, Perez would be the first openly gay speaker in state history. He also LA Mayor Antonio Villariagosa's cousin.
Kevin De Leon, from a neighboring district in LA, is also [...]
Who ever said "to the winner go the spoils"? Former Rosemead councilman John Nunez lost his council seat in march, but the stipends keep on coming -- only now they're from EDD.
Nunez has so far collected $11,250 in unemployment, and he continues to collect $450 a week, despite the objections [...]
Here's a odd one... despite the dire financial times, California cities actually fared pretty well in a Standard & Poors report on AAA rated municipalities across the nation. As the Capitol Weekly reported Monday, "The venerable credit rating agency's latest listing of 169 "AAA" cities includes 25 in California, the [...]
Jessica's Law, the landmark state legislation designed to keep convicted sex offenders away from children and the places they frequent, is under scrutiny for being so restrictive as to become unenforceable.
A new analysis in San Diego finds that More than 70 percent of registered sex offenders in San [...]
Auto manufacturing is on a long hiatus from Southern California, well, you might say California in general. Downey is looking to change that. From the LA Times: "The (Downey) council agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Industrial Realty Group, the manager of an 80-acre parcel where Tesla Motors Inc. [...]
The LA Times ran an amusing (if cynical) opinion piece listing what its 'thankful' for as residents of the state's largest metropolis. Among out favorites:
I'm thankful that the Los Angeles City Council passed a law limiting households to one rooster because this should end whispers that the council is out [...]If you thought bankruptcy was the only tough issue in the Vallejo, you'd be wrong. Mayor Osby Davis, who won election in a razor close (two votes) campaign against an openly gay candidate, is now the focus of a national backlash for comments saying gays are "committing sin and that [...]
The long running 'feud' between Santa Cruz and Huntington Beach is one of our favorite plotlines in covering local government in California, and we've got an intriguing new development. The Kawānanakoa family, who represent the heirs to the throne of the now defunct Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and descendants of the [...]
Heralded just months ago as the organization that could pull California from the ills that have befallen it, California Forward has introduced a number of initiatives to the Attorney Generals office to begin the process that may ultimately become a signature gathering effort and ballot measure in 2010. The measures focus [...]
Governor Schwarzenegger used his favorite venue to make major political declarations to reveal his pick for Lieutenant Governor Monday: the Jay Leno Show. Republican state Senator Abel Maldonado is the lucky winner, and the pick is long on political intrigue.
Maldonado beat out Senator Cogdill, who may have scuttled his chances [...]
Dan Walters forecasted a "bloody battle" for the state budget in 2010 in the SacBee Friday. "They've scraped the bottom of the gimmick barrel, voters are livid and new taxes are functionally off the table," writes Walters, adding "This will be one of the bloodiest skirmishes the Capitol has ever [...]
A task force of local business leaders appointed by San Diego Mayor Jerry sanders to examine the city's financial position has come back with an ominous finding. If "a series of urgent and drastic fiscal reforms" are not undertaken, bankruptcy may be the city's best option.
Now, this may be the [...]
A task force of local business leaders appointed by San Diego Mayor Jerry sanders to examine the city's financial position has come back with an ominous finding. If "a series of urgent and drastic fiscal reforms" are not undertaken, bankruptcy may be the city's best option.
Now, this may be the [...]
Details of the San Jacinto Council scandal are emerging, and they ain't pretty.
At the center of the maelstrom is councilman, and former Assembly candidate, Jim Ayers. A Press Enterprise report from over the weekend details how Ayers received close to $200,000 in campaign contributions from a pair of Orange [...]
Charlie Beck, the top choice of Mayor Villaraigosa and outgoing chief Bill Bratton to assume the top job in the LAPD, was confirmed by the LA City Council for that position this week.
After some wrangling about the mechanics of the interview process, the council ultimately confirmed Beck unanimously. Now, [...]
Earlier this year, Palo Alto residents threw a fit after the city, at the behest of a local Business Improvement District, chopped down rows of mature oak trees along its California Avenue. Now, the council is embarking on tree planting program in an effort to placate both the businesses and [...]
Costa Mesa, home to the Orange County Fairgrounds, isn't so keen on the Governor's idea of selling that property, and has made a formal request to halt the sale. The council is also considering a ballot measure to require the property remain a fairgrounds -- regardless of ownership.
The [...]
LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley isn't very impressed with the LA Council's efforts to pass an ordinance regulating the over the counter sale of medical marijuana. "Quite frankly we're ignoring them," Cooley was quoted in the LA Times this week, saying he's going to prosecute the distributors regardless on [...]
Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby, despite being badly outspent in the "nasty, brutish and short" special election to replaced resigned Assemblyman Mike Duvall, has advanced to a runoff against Democrat John MacMurray.
In an expectantly low turnout election Tuesday, Norby beat out the wife of former legislator (and Republican leader) Dick Ackerman. Linda Ackerman, listed [...]
As many folks have likely heard by now, a sweeping corruption probe in Riverside County has snared 4 out of 5 San Jacinto councilmembers on charges ranging from money laundering, bribery and fraud to perjury, conspiracy and filing false federal documents. There are a total of nine defendants in the [...]
The subject of having ‘In God We Trust’ inscribed on city monuments created quite a stir last year. Now the issue has resurfaced in Orange County, where Costa mesa Councilmember Wendy Leece would like to have the phrase inscribed behind the council dais.
Leece says the move is intended to [...]
While LA -- and myriad other cities across the state -- struggle with how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, one city seems to have the whole thing pretty well figured out.
The LA Times ran a story on West Hollywood this week, who one councilmember boasts has been on top [...]
While LA -- and myriad other cities across the state -- struggle with how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, one city seems to have the whole thing pretty well figured out.
The LA Times ran a story on West Hollywood this week, who one councilmember boasts has been on top [...]
The election to replace resigned Assemblyman Mike Duvall in Orange County's 72nd Assembly District is Tuesday, and OC Supe Chris Norby is an apparent frontrunner to land the gig. As one OC political observer put it, the race has been "nasty, brutish and short."
There are technically five options on Tuesday's ballot. Norby's only legitimate challenger [...]
Editorial writers across California took cuts at the CalPERS pinata over the weekend. The pension fund, which is coming off its worst year ever and a loss of over a quarter of its assets, is under fire for everything from poor foresight to bad PR. As the San Diego Trib wrote: "Events have taken [...]
Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin all have one thing in common... they're all on the same road to fiscal calamity, just like us. The Pew Center on the States released a report on state finances and found a similar pattern of budget gaps, [...]
Keenan & Associates have released a pair of very helpful documents for public agencies as they plan their employee benefits for the coming year.
Every year, the U.S. Government sets new limits for various benefit programs to reflect inflation and changes in the law. Keenan has given an overview of [...]
California State University, overwhelmed by high demand and dwindling resources, is set to reduce its overall enrollment by nearly 10 percent. As bad as that is for the state's high school students, and its future, the loss of up to 50,000 students in cities across the state could have profound, [...]
In City Attorneys on the move news: San Luis Obispo City Attorney Jonathan Lowell, who is also the incoming president of the League of California Cities City Attorney Department, will succeed Michael Roush as City Attorney for Pleasanton. Lowell will start January 1, read more from the Pleasanton Weekly.
[...]This is the question posed by Scientific American this month as it reviews efforts of cities and counties to combat climate change against the backdrop of global economic upheaval.
"With diplomatic efforts to seal a post-Kyoto accord approaching a decidedly uncertain fate this December in Copenhagen, state and local leaders [...]
Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin all have one thing in common... they're all on the same road to fiscal calamity, just like us. The Pew Center on the States released a report on state finances and found a similar pattern of budget gaps, [...]
eRepublic's Center for Digital Government and Digital Communitieshas released its 2009 list of the most advanced digital cities in America. The cities were chosen from the results of the ninth annual Digital Cities Survey, which examines "how municipalities incorporate information technology into operations which better serve citizens engaging with local [...]
California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) has released a report on "California's Cities and Counties Litigation Costs Revealed." The study looks at the state' largest cities and counties and finds a pretty bleak situation. Writes CALA:
"Litigation costs will always be present in the public sector, as there will always be [...]
Forbes has released a study of the most "toxic" US metropolitan areas. California, home to AB 32 and avowed lover of the hybrid, performs pretty well. Again, this is a comparative study of CityNews' least favorite parameters, the "metro" area, but given the transient, intermingling nature of water and air [...]
Are cat claws the new styrofoam cups? As in, the latest target of council bans to sweep the state? Last week, San Francisco kicked off the restrictions on the practice, now viewed as inhumane by many veterinarians and other animal lovers. Santa Monica, Malibu, LA and Beverly Hills have now [...]
"We were completely rolled" said one Contra Costa County Supervisor, and that pretty much says it all. Bay Area and Delta Counties are none too happy with the new water deal, and taxpayers may soon join that sentiment... here's the situation as we see it:
The legislature has passed a sweeping water bill that will [...]
"We were completely rolled" said one Contra Costa County Supervisor, and that pretty much says it all. Bay Area and Delta Counties are none too happy with the new water deal, and taxpayers may soon join that sentiment... here's the situation as we see it:
The legislature has passed a sweeping water bill that will [...]
Strong national trends and the spin machines from both major parties are doing their best to make hay of the election contests on Tuesday night. Here at CaliforniaCityNews we know that the most telling election results come from the diverse set of local elections we have from throughout the state [...]
Beverly Hills has snatched Santa Rosa's City Manager. Well, we probably shouldn't put it quite like that, but Jeff Kolin will be leaving his post in the wine country for the same gig on Rodeo Dr.
The appointment was announced this week by Mayor Nancy Krasne. Kolin has also served [...]
Charlie Beck, Deputy Chief under outgoing Chief William Bratton, has been officially tabbed as his boss' successor. Mayor Villariaigosa made the announcement Tuesday, but as the Times writes, there was some interesting backchannel maneuvering to get Beck the gig.
Evidently, as Bratton began confiding his retirement plans to advisers and the [...]
The Orange County Division of the League of Cities is holding a forum on "Understanding the Benefits and Challenges to California’s Public Pension System" next Thursday (the 12th) in Costa Mesa. There's a pretty solid lineup, not the least of which is the moderator -- CityNews' own Robb Korinke!
Reed [...]Capitol Insiders' Twitter fees lit up at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, leading some of us to question who was up too late, and who was up too early. Turns out the Assembly decided to burn the midnight oil and bang out the water deal once and for all. Now at an $11 billion [...]
While much of the national media attention is on Gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virigina Tuesday, and the increasingly bizarre congressional race in upstate New York, there are numerous and intriguing elections taking place right here in California.
Most importantly for many cities are the range of local measures [...]
CalPERS just got a little healthy competition, from San Bernardino County. New state legislation allows San Bernardino County's retirement system to market an alternative to a two-year-old CalPERS retiree health fund.
Writes Ed Mendel:
"So, what does a comparatively small 30,000-member system, with about $5 billion in assets, have to offer that [...]The City of Arcata hosted a forum for San Gabriel Valley cities to explore and share best parcitices in the area of healthy living last week. Arcata was honored by the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Cities Campaign for its efforts in this area, and participants in the day long [...]
Laguna Woods City Manager Leslie Keene got in a bit of hot water last month. Facing a traffic snarling, red light flaunting horde of hundreds of bikers on a 9/11 memorial ride, Keene began looking into the six-year old event and making Sheriff's Department inquires into whether the event, organized [...]
Laguna Woods City Manager Leslie Keene got in a bit of hot water last month. Facing a traffic snarling, red light flaunting horde of hundreds of bikers on a 9/11 memorial ride, Keene began looking into the six-year old event and making Sheriff's Department inquires into whether the event, organized [...]
