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Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak

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Defendant in Yee Case Claims Anti-Chinese Racism

Defendant in Yee Case Claims Anti-Chinese Racism

A lawyer for Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, the alleged Chinatown gang boss involved in the federal case that snagged State Sen. Leland Yee, claims that his client is a victim of “unadulterated racism” by the government. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: “They

Poll: Brown Leads Gov Race, Donnelly Second

Poll: Brown Leads Gov Race, Donnelly Second

A new Field Poll of likely California voters shows incumbent Democrat Jerry Brown far ahead of any rivals in the gubernatorial election, enjoying the support of 57% of likely voters. Second place, with 17%, is Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican who enjoys

Rove: Kashkari Is Best 'to Lose to Jerry Brown'

Rove: Kashkari Is Best 'to Lose to Jerry Brown'

Veteran Republican political strategist and Beltway insider Karl Rove told a gathering of Sacramento business leaders that Neel Kashkari would be the party’s best choice “to lose to Jerry Brown” in the November election, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Democrat Who Voted for Fracking Campaigns Against Fracking

Democrat Who Voted for Fracking Campaigns Against Fracking

Marin County is having a good laugh–and no small bit of outrage–at Assemblyman Marc Levine’s expense, after the local Press Democrat caught Levine sending mailers to his constituents calling for a moratorium on fracking, even though he had voted to authorize

Reynolds: Silicon Valley Scares Americans

Reynolds: Silicon Valley Scares Americans

Veteran blogger and law professor Glenn Reynolds points out in his latest USA Today column that Silicon Valley has lost the trust of the American people. The problem is not just that the tech giants have become embroiled in the scandals surrounding

What Is It About San Francisco?

What Is It About San Francisco?

The strangest thing about San Francisco is that no matter what time of the day or night it is, it feels like late afternoon. The city seems to bask in the glow of that soft sunshine at all hours, in

Valadao: Incumbent? Who, Me?

Valadao: Incumbent? Who, Me?

Nathan L. Gonzales of Roll Call’s “Rothenblog” has noticed something interesting about freshman U.S. Rep. David Valadao’s self-description on the primary ballot in California: he has declined to note that he is an incumbent congressman. Instead, Gonzales notes, Valadao will

Vandals Overturn Smart Cars in San Francisco

Vandals Overturn Smart Cars in San Francisco

Local NBC and CBS affiliates in San Francisco reported Monday morning that several Smart cars were upended around the city on Sunday night. KCBS reported that three cars were overturned in two different neighborhoods and NBC Bay Area spoke to witnesses

Rahm Emanuel Has Learned Nothing About Foreign Policy

Rahm Emanuel Has Learned Nothing About Foreign Policy

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel granted the New Republic‘s Isaac Chotiner what the magazine describes as a “contentious” interview–and that’s putting it mildly. The mayor is highly combative and profane in the interview, showing a contempt for the public that is

SEIU to Place $15 Min. Wage on San Francisco Ballot

SEIU to Place $15 Min. Wage on San Francisco Ballot

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the country’s most powerful public sector unions, will file a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage in San Francisco to $15 per hour (from $10.74), which would make it the highest

457 Marijuana Shops File Tax Renewals in L.A.

457 Marijuana Shops File Tax Renewals in L.A.

Authorities in Los Angeles report that 457 marijuana dispensaries have filed tax renewals with the city this year. That is more than three times the 135 pot shops legally allowed to operate under 2013’s Proposition D ballot initiative, and represents

Drudge Report Is 10% of Tesla Web Traffic

Drudge Report Is 10% of Tesla Web Traffic

The Drudge Report takes up a full ten percent of all web traffic from the built-in web browser in Tesla’s Model S electric sedan, according to an analysis by Quantcast, as reported by Techcrunch. Though Tesla drivers are often thought

Bankrupt Detroit Beats L.A. in Job Growth

The Los Angeles Times reports Wednesday that a UCLA study showed that “Los Angeles has gone 23 years without job growth,” losing 3.1% of the jobs it had in 1990–dead last among U.S. cities, even behind Detroit. “Among problems plaguing the