The California Public Utilities Commission is preparing to open most of its records to the public, a move that would allow state residents to learn how safe pipelines are in their area…
Transparency is good, but some things should remain private. Yesterday the Federal Trade Commission released a 57-page report on internet privacy, which aims to establish a set of “best practices” for the data-mining industry. For now, the FTC is hoping internet companies like Google and Facebook self-regulate and provide clear Do Not Track options for their users, but if they don’t make progress by next year, Congress will begin legislating changes…
California Democrats are refusing to make many of Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed budget cuts. Brown had asked legislators to cut programs like welfare-to-work and scholarship aid as early as this month, but Democrats say the state is not out of money yet…
GOP lawmakers are pushing back against a plan to charge a $150 fee for rural fire prevention. The fee was approved to help bridge a budget gap, so unless opponents find another way to raise $50 million for this year, the repeal measure will have little chance of success…
A new billboard campaign is calling out California for using foreign steel to build the new Bay Bridge. The billboard says the bridge is “100% Chinese steel” – but that’s not 100% true. Metal for the new suspension span is all imported from other countries, but Caltrans says 70% of the entire bridge is made from American steel.
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