Last year, the state Supreme Court interjected itself – in a big way – into the perennial "tort war" that pits personal injury lawyers against insurance companies and business groups over the arcane rules of liability lawsuits.

Tossing out redevelopment agencies may make short-term sense to help balance the state budget, but we believe it’s a long-term mistake to abandon a program that has been an economic driver for cities.

It's one thing for politicians, ordinary citizens, lawyers or even media pundits to say that California's bullet train project is fatally flawed and should be scrapped before it becomes a hopeless money pit.

Former SLO city councilman and current Morro Bay police-officer-in-training Paul Brown is taking some heat because two guns were stolen from his personal vehicle parked in front of his house. But cheer up, Paul. At least you didn’t earn a dumdum brickbat for exceptionally sloppy handling of firearms.

The state Constitution requires governors to unveil their proposed budgets for the next fiscal year by Jan. 10.

Putting off look at salary and benefits for two years serves no useful purpose, and doing it now wouldn’t have caused a burden

Polls tell us that the vast majority of Californians believe their Legislature is ineffective and at least semi-corrupt.

California adopted redevelopment as a tool for improving its urban ambience just after World War II, and for more than 30 years, it was nothing more than an ancillary local government activity.

For the good of the public, policy plans should stay on track

A year from now, we Californians may look back on 2012 as one of those momentous years for politics.

When Jerry Brown began his first term as governor 37 years ago, his ambition to quickly vacate the office soon became obvious.

Time to toss the pine wreaths and droopy poinsettias and make way for sparkly New Year’s Day bouquets. Rush deliveries go out to:

Bouquets of mistletoe and holly to all the angels who went out of their way to make the holidays a little brighter for families struggling in this economy. Whether you served meals at a homeless shelter, donated to Toys for Tots, contributed to a holiday food drive or found your own special way to make a difference, please know that your efforts are a big part of what makes our community the special place that it is.

California political junkies are all atwitter about an article on the website ProPublica about a clandestine campaign by Democratic apparatchiks to influence the state's redistricting commission congressional map-drawing.

It’s hard to put a good face on the loss of $71 million in state revenue that helped fund drug and gang task forces in dozens of California counties.

As Gov. Jerry Brown participated in a Capitol menorah-lighting ceremony this week to mark the onset of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, he uttered a secular prayer for a miracle that would make California a model of carbon-free energy.

It's doubtful whether members of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, who voted this month to pursue an alternative route through Kings County for a north-south bullet train, have ever heard of the Mussel Slough Tragedy, even though it was a seminal event in the state's history.

Even those in the Capitol have great difficulty making sense of California's chronically imbalanced state budget, so it's no wonder the outside public finds its big numbers so bewildering.

Sure, Christmas is a week away, but not to worry. There are still seven days to shop; still time to get those cards in the mail; and still plenty of ways to celebrate this season of giving by helping those in need.

Call it the half-percent solution.