Gov. Jerry Brown announcing the 2015-2016 fiscal year budget proposal at the State Capitol last May

(Photo: Ken James for Bloomberg News)

Super-Earners Targeted in California Tax Push as Revenue Surges

Governor Jerry Brown convinced voters in 2012 they had to raise taxes if they wanted to avoid Draconian cuts to schools. It was temporary, he said. Now, as state coffers are heavy with surplus revenue, advocacy groups and organized labor want to keep the levies in place.

Sep 24, 2015 Alison Vekshin
The set for Idris Goodwin’s “Bars and Measures,” which will end its run at B Street Theatre on Sept. 27, marries structural design with elements of movement and careful light choreography. Though many audience members probably don't realize it, the amount of conceptualizing, visualizing and manpower it takes to be prepared for opening night is immense.

The Team Behind the Scene

B Street Theatre

“We are lucky to work with a great team here, because this is not always easy,” says set designer and charge artist for B Street Theatre Samantha Reno. “You have to be flexible, you have to be quick and you have to make good, solid decisions. The schedule can be grueling, but the show must go on.”

Sep 18, 2015 Kelly Higdon
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California Fears El Nino’s Dark Side Will Bring More Trouble

El Nino may likely not end the state’s 4-year drought. Imagine instead a darker scenario, where the weather-changing phenomenon adds another year of dryness in the north while ravaging the south with floods. “What do you say when the governor asks you what to do? ‘You prepare for flood and drought because there is a possibility you can get both,”’ said Mike Anderson, state climatologist.

Sep 18, 2015 Brian K. Sullivan
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University of California Sells $200 Million Fossil Fuel Holdings

Students representing the university’s 10 campuses have protested and collected petitions urging the school to divest from fossil fuels that include coal and oil sands, a mix of sand, clay, water and a heavy oil called bitumen. Fossil Free UC, a coalition of students, faculty, staff and alumni has asked the university to adopt a five-year plan to freeze new fossil fuel investments.

Sep 15, 2015 Janet Lorin & Lauren Streib
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Building Without Bidding

Can an uncommon delivery method fast-track construction in California?

Eighteen months. That’s how long it took to design and build the 1.2 million-square-foot California Health Care Facility near Stockton. Sound impossible? It was an aggressive effort involving numerous parties. The facility, completed in 2013 to house chronically ill inmates, was lauded for its sustainable design. But the speed of the process was the big deal.

Sep 14, 2015 Russell Nichols