Marv Owen, a delegate from Los Angeles, left, listens to state GOP Chairman Jim Brulte at the California Republican Convention at the Hyatt Hotel in Sacramento in 2013. Randall Benton [email protected]

Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
[email protected]
January 30, 2017 - 2:19 PM

For Democrats enraged and taking official action Monday to denounce President Donald Trump’s order temporarily banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte has a message: “This is purely hypocritical, political posturing.”

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By Ed Mendel
January 30, 3016

The two big state pension funds have been on very different paths since both had large surpluses in 2000. But they will have identical funding levels if CalSTRS, like CalPERS last month, adopts a recommended lower investment earnings forecast this week.

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By Michael R. Blood and Don Thompson
Associated Press
Jan 29, 2017 - 3:00 PM EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The future of California’s legal marijuana industry is being shaped in a warren of cubicles tucked inside a retired basketball arena, where a garden of paper cannabis leaves sprouts on file cabinets and a burlap sack advertising “USA Home Grown” dangles from a wall.

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By Jim Christie | San Francisco
U.S. | Fri Jan 27, 2017 | 6:36pm EST

San Bernardino, California, won final court approval on Friday for its financial restructuring plan, clearing the way for the city to wrap up the bankruptcy case it launched more than four years ago when its leaders learned it was facing insolvency.

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By Dan Walters
[email protected]
January 26, 2017 - 2:22 PM

By devoting most of Tuesday’s State of the State address to denouncing Donald Trump and his policies, Gov. Jerry Brown fed rhetorical red meat to fellow Democrats.

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Capitol Alert
By Jim Miller
[email protected]
January 25, 2017 - 1:52 PM

California faces a $76.67 billion cost to provide healthcare and dental benefits to retired state employees, state Controller Betty Yee reported Wednesday, an increase of $2.49 billion over the previous year’s estimate.

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AP Nation / World
By Scott Smith
Associated Press
Jan 25, 2017 - 1:59 AM EST

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Much of California has gone from withered to water-logged this winter, but the state’s top water regulator is not ready to lift emergency conservation measures enacted during the height of the drought.

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Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago and Alexei Koseff
[email protected]
January 24, 2017 - 10:44 AM

Gov. Jerry Brown, plunging into position as a Democratic bulwark against Donald Trump’s presidency, warned Tuesday of looming battles with Republican-controlled Washington, using his State of the State address to assuage fears that California would turn its back on progressive policies.

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By Dan Walters
[email protected]
January 23, 2017 - 12:01 AM

Two new documents – a report by the state housing agency and Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2017-18 budget – focus harsh economic reality on fanciful political “solutions” to the state’s severe housing crisis.

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A view of San Bernardino City Hall in October 2016. (file photo)

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 01/21/17 - 3:25 PM PST |

SAN BERNARDINO >> Plans are on track for City Hall to be vacated by April, as all employees move out of a building determined to be a substantial earthquake risk.

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The Public Eye
By Brad Branan
[email protected]
January 21, 2017 - 1:17 PM

In South Lake Tahoe, roads are crumbling, and the city is struggling to find ways to repair years of damage caused by harsh weather and snowplows. Orangevale residents worry that fire crews won’t arrive quickly enough in an emergency after their local fire station was closed during the recession.

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California employers added just 3,700 jobs in December, according to the state Employment Development Department. That was less than a third of the 13,600 jobs that were added the previous month. (Photo by Neil Nisperos, SCNG/File)

By Kevin Smith, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 01/20/17 - 11:38 AM PST |

California employers scaled back their hiring in December with just 3,700 jobs added, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.

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Friday, January 20, 2017 - Noon

With full fanfare, Republican Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States at precisely Noon on Friday.

Trump replaces Barack H. Obama, who served from 2009 to 2017.

San Bernardino County CEO Greg Devereaux announced that he will retire Thursday. (File photo)

By David Downey, The Press-Enterprise
Posted: 01/19/17 - 12:15 PM PST |

San Bernardino County’s chief executive, who is credited with stabilizing county government finances, announced Thursday he plans to retire by the end of June.

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By Callum Borchers
January 19, 2017

Don’t mess with CNN.

That’s the unvarnished version of a message that the network’s president, Jeff Zucker, delivered to President-elect Donald Trump in an interview published on Thursday by New York magazine.

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Water & Drought
By Dale Kasler
[email protected]
January 18, 2017 - 12:16 PM

With rivers roaring and more rain coming, California’s drought cops are wrestling with a complicated question: Should they keep patrolling the beat?

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By Ed Mendel
Monday, January 17, 2017

State payments to CalPERS next fiscal year are expected to total $6 billion, nearly double the $3.2 billion paid six years ago before a wave of employer rate increases.

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American Apparel began laying off 2,400 Southern California workers on Monday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Shan Li
January 16, 2017

American Apparel began to lay off 2,400 workers in Southern California on Monday — kicking off its final chapter as the country’s largest garment maker.

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Former Inland congressional candidate Paul Chabot is leaving for Texas. In a Facebook post, Chabot , a Republican, said he and his family are moving “to find a region of the nation that embraces our values and morals we cherish.” (File)

By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Jan. 13, 2017 - Updated: 10:43 p.m.

• Twice-beaten GOP congressional hopeful delivers some parting shots en route to Texas

Rancho Cucamonga Republican Paul Chabot, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014 and 2016, is moving to the Lone Star State – but not before dispensing some harsh words for California progressives.

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The outspoken Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump supporter has been discussing a prospective run with advisers.

By Alex Isenstadt
01/14/17 - 06:25 PM EST

Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire and outspoken Donald Trump supporter, is considering a 2018 bid for California governor, according to three Republicans familiar with his thinking.

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Nathan Fenno
January 14, 2017

When Dan Reeves moved the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946, the owner made a prediction about his new home.

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Paloma Esquivel
January 14, 2017

Ten Southern California journalists are fighting an effort by prosecutors to compel them to testify in the San Bernardino County corruption trials of a developer, a former supervisor and other former county officials.

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A San Diego Chargers fan holds up a sign in front of Chargers headquarters after the team announced that it will move to Los Angeles. (Denis Poroy / AP)

Natalie Kitroeff and Daniel Miller
January 13, 2017

The Chargers’ dramatic split from the city of San Diego may be a sign that California is officially done spending public money on sports franchises.

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California’s bullet train could cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated — as much as $3.6 billion more – according to a confidential federal report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Ralph Vartabedian
January 13, 2017

California’s bullet train could cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated — as much as $3.6 billion more. And that’s just for the first 118 miles through the Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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Associated Press
January 13, 2017 - 11:05 AM

The first chamber of the California Legislature has confirmed U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra to be the state’s next attorney general.

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Jim Puzzanghera
January 13, 2017

Wells Fargo & Co. on Friday reported a 6% drop in fourth-quarter profit in the wake of a scandal over its employees creating as many as 2 million accounts without customer authorization.

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By Jonathan J. Cooper
Associated Press
Jan 11, 2017 - 9:13 p.m. EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s economy is expanding and voters just approved billions of dollars in tax increases, yet Gov. Jerry Brown this week projected a budget deficit for the first time in four years and called for spending cuts.

So what’s going on?

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Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, center, leaves federal court, where prosecutors announced they will retry him on charges of obstructing an FBI investigation. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Joel Rubin
January 10, 2017

Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that they will retry former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca following a recent mistrial in which a jury nearly cleared him of obstructing an FBI investigation into the county’s jails.

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By Dan Walters
[email protected]
January 10, 2017 - 4:18 PM

Ever since he returned to the governorship six years ago, Jerry Brown has preached fiscal caution, warning that the state would inevitably see another economic decline and plunging revenue.

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In this file photo, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca arrives at federal court in Los Angeles to appear before a judge after a plea deal had been denied. Aug. 1, 2016 (Photo by David Crane Southern California News Group)

By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/09/17 - 4:09 PM PST |

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is expected to be back in federal court Tuesday to determine if he’ll stand trial on three pending charges that stem from a jail corruption and inmate abuse scandal.

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By Dan Walters
[email protected]
January 8, 2017 - 4:00 PM

The 2016 legislative session ended four-plus months ago with a cross-Capitol stalemate on the future of the State Bar, the agency that oversees the legal profession.

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The U.S. Department of Justice is carrying out a new probe into the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Seen are DA Tony Rackauckas and Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. (File photos by Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tony Saavedra / Staff Writer
Jan. 6, 2017 - Updated 9:18 p.m.

Community forums. Face-to-face meetings with leaders of the local deputies union and with local defense attorneys. Twitter.

Is this any way to conduct a civil-rights investigation?

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Gov. Jerry Brown, seen discussing his 2016-17 state budget last year, will release his new spending plan next week in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

John Myers
January 6, 2017

In the six years since Gov. Jerry Brown returned to the state Capitol, his relatively parsimonious approach to state budgets has been consistent enough to leave few watchers expecting major surprises.

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President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally last year in Hershey, Pa. (Evan Vucci AP)

Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
[email protected]
January 4, 2017 - 4:42 PM

With his party solidly out of power in Washington, a Democratic state lawmaker said he plans to introduce a bill that would again move up the presidential primary in California.

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Holder, leading a team of attorneys from the firm Covington & Burling, will cover potential conflicts between California and the federal government.

Melanie Mason
January 4, 4016

Bracing for an adversarial relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, the California Legislature has selected former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to serve as outside counsel to advise on the state’s legal strategy against the incoming administration.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined Equifax and TransUnion for providing consumers with credit scores not actually used by most lenders in making credit decisions.

James Rufus Koren
January 4, 4016

All credit scores are not created equal.

That’s the upshot of federal enforcement actions levied Tuesday against credit bureaus Equifax and TransUnion.

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Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer lamented a previous rule change by Senate Democrats which allows a president’s Cabinet picks to be approved by a simple majority. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Bridget Bowman
Posted Jan 3, 2017 - 10:13 PM

• Minority leader says Democrats will push for ‘mainstream’ nominee

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is preparing to block President-elect Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee if he or she is not in the “mainstream.”

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Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - 07:00 p.m.

Funeral Services have been set for San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Brian Saunders, who passed away unexpectedly last week.

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Gov. Jerry Brown, joined Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, by his nominee for Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, said California would collaborate where possible with President-elect Donald Trump but also uphold the state’s values.

Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
[email protected]
January 3, 2017 - 10:28 AM

Gov. Jerry Brown formally entered his nomination of Rep. Xavier Becerra for California attorney general on Tuesday, setting the 90-day clock for the Legislature to act.

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By one estimate, CalPERS has missed out on $3 billion in financial returns by refusing to buy tobacco stocks. But the pension giant decided Monday to stick with the ban despite a recommendation from its staff that the ban be relaxed.

By Dan Walters
[email protected]
January 2, 2017 - 12:01 AM

It’s very rare, but always welcome, when reality intrudes on political decision making.

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Matt Stevens
January 1, 2017

A 14-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has been arrested and booked on suspicion of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a teenage girl participating in the department’s youth Explorer program, authorities said.

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