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NEW: L.A. city spat pits Wall Street against unions

November 6, 2014 By James Poulos. The latest twist in Los Angeles city politics has shed light on an important new trend in fiscal politics. With new urgency, a coalition of public workers unions has demanded Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city leaders scuttle longstanding financial deals with Wall Street banks. As the Los Angeles Times reported, "L.A. lawmakers voted in August to try to renegotiate the agreements. Now...

Democrats lose super-majority in CA Assembly

November 5, 2014 By John Hrabe. Republicans, who have already blocked a Democratic super-majority in the California Senate, have also succeeded in defeating a Democratic super-majority in the Assembly. The only question remaining: How many seats will Democrats lose in the lower house? Buoyed by low voter turnout and an effective ground operation, Republicans picked up two Southern California seats and held a sl...

Uber shows CA cool still beats regulators

November 5, 2014 By James Poulos. This has been a big year for Uber. The ride-for-hire app became a mainstream phenomenon, but attracted more than its fair share of criticism and legal scrutiny. And the Uber saga is just getting started. A fresh wave of initiatives -- and the press to match -- has touched off a fascinating phenomenon. Although a corporation weaker than Uber would be thought of as embattled, Uber's tr...

Water issue re-elects GOP Sen. Vidak in Dem district

November 5, 2014 By Wayne Lusvardi.   You knew Democrats were in the deep end of the pool over water issues in California back on May 14. That's when they asked Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak of Hanford to read out loud Joint Resolution 25 in the state Senate. It urged President Obama to find solutions to California’s drought crisis. It is rare in politics for one party to have to use a member of the opp...