California — 160 Years The “Donor State”

“The important fact that California contributes annually more to the national treasury in proportion to population than any other state in the confederacy certainly entitles her to increased consideration in making disbursements from the national coffers.”

– Gov. John Bigler, January 4, 1854

2.25.2014

On February 25, 160 Years Ago…

As soon as lawmakers deliver him the approved bill, Gov. John Bigler ends California’s five-year game of musical capitals by signing legislation making Sacramento California’s permanent seat of government.

The current capital is Benicia. Previously it’s been Monterey, San Jose, briefly Sacramento and Vallejo. Benicia’s representatives are eager to have Benicia remain the capital. Read more »

2.25.2014

On Lemmings…

“As a group, lemmings have a rotten image but no individual lemming has ever received bad press.”

–Warren Buffett Read more »

2.24.2014

Poverty, Pollution & Polemics

Sacramento Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, Former Department of Finance Director Ana Matosantos and Kate Gordon, vice-president/director of Energy & Climate Programs at Next Generation

2.24.2014

The Name Game

Want a bridge or freeway named after you? Here’s the skinny. By Greg Lucas, Sacramento News & Review, February 20, 2014

Bummer for James “Sunny Jim” Rolph. The charismatic mayor of San Francisco from 1912 to 1931, who died in office broke as California’s 27th governor, got his bridge taken away again. Read more »

2.24.2014

Preventing a Final Indignity

Death certificates are the latest battleground for gay rights advocates trying to ensure that the gender a person identifies with in life carries over into death.

A bill introduced recently aimed at ensuring the death certificates of transgender persons reflect their chosen gender is the latest legislative effort to vouchsafe the rights of this small category of Californians. Read more »

2.20.2014

“This Election, I Think People Are Going to Stop Thinking About Themselves, and Start Thinking About Me, Al Franken.”

A recent fundraising appeal from the senator from Minnesota:

-30- Read more »

2.20.2014

Know Thyself

“If you have competence, you pretty much know its boundaries already. To ask the question(of whether you’re past the boundary) is to answer it.”

–Charlie Munger Read more »

2.18.2014

LIke The Beatles Say…

“It irritates the hell out of me but you can’t buy love.”

— Warren Buffett Read more »

2.12.2014

Esurient

Adjective: “Hungry or Greedy.”

Used in a Sentence: “It seems a tad esurient of my learned colleague to favor 17 highway projects in his own district and a combined total of two in the districts of the remaining 10 members of this committee.” Read more »

Next >>

Archives