Articles

Brown Stacks CPUC With Confidant Who Did Wet Work For Oil Industry In Firing Tough Oil Well Regulators

Governor Jerry Brown appointed Cliff Rechtschaffen as a Commissioner to the scandal-plagued Public Utilities Commission, along with another current Brown staffer, Martha Guzman Aceves. This gives Brown power for the next six years over the PUC, even though he will be leaving office in two.
 
It's a deeply troubling appointment given Rechtschaffen's role in carrying out the demands of the oil industry in the firing of two tough wellhead regulators at the Department of Conservation and Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) in 2011.  
 

Is Lands Commission Negotiating With Ahab Over Martins Beach?

The Lands Commission met behind closed doors to discuss litigation to take back Martins Beach from billionaire Vinod Khosla and emerged with a mix message.  We're moving aggresively towards invoking eminent domain, Lieutenant Gov Gavin Newsom stated, if further negotiations don't work.
 

Will Democratic Lands Commission Allow Billionaire Donor To Lock Gates To Beach?

In a closed session of the Lands Commission in Sacramento Tuesday,  in what is likely to be a windowless room, the frontrunner for Democratic governor of California will make a decision that speaks to whether Democrats will play hard ball with billionaires to the protect  the coast.
 
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, who sits on the Lands Commission, along with Democratic Controller Betty Yee and Finance Director Michael Cohen, could give a billionaire major donor party donor the ability to privatize Martins Beach in Northern California. 
 

California Democratic Party Cleaning House Or Covering Its Ass?

An investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) into whether the California Democratic Party laundered oil and energy company donations for Governor Brown looks like it’s having a side effect: The CDP issued a new decree that it won’t accept any more political donations from oil companies or their Sacramento reps.

Message To Governor Jerry Brown: State Fracking Is Cracking

Since assuming office in 2011, Governor Jerry Brown has protected oil drilling and fracking, despite his commitment to battle climate change. But it will be hard for him to ignore a ban on fracking in Monterey County just passed by voters who backed Measure Z.

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