On the whole, most of the people who live or work in the areas where this newspaper is circulated came out reasonably well during the triple-digit heat wave that sweltered California during the past two weeks. Unlike some 823,000 of our neighbors in the East Bay and South Bay, we did not suffer extended large-scale blackouts. Read More

Monday’s Superior Court ruling that a petition by foes of high-density redevelopment at the Bay Meadows racetrack was 56 signatures short of qualifying for the November ballot begins the opposition’s endgame. With the deadline past for starting a new petition, all that opponents can do now is delay the project a while longer by appealing Judge Mark Forcum’s decision. Read More

Tough luck, California taxpayers — another $55 million has just been added to your 2006-07 state budget obligation, an expense that benefits only state and local government employees. This additional tax obligation was not arrived at via open legislative debate. Instead it was imposed Wednesday by vote of the California Public Employees Retirement System board. Read More

No sooner had the final votes been tallied and state Treasurer Phil Angelides declared the winner of the Democratic primary race for governor than most political observers concluded he had little chance to defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the general election in November. After the unusually bitter and negative campain waged by both Angelides and his opponent, state Controller Steve Westly, it was thought Angelides would be too tainted by negative attack ads to stand a chance. Read More