Bill Bradley

Why is Mr. Wright so wrong? It‘s a question often asked by consumer and environmental advocates of Assemblyman Rod Wright. The Los Angeles Democrat chairs the Utilities and Commerce Committee, and activists have long considered Wright a roadblock and an industry shill, who shamelessly raises campaign money from the very......

At first blush, last Thursday in the state Capitol was the Ross Perot moment that became so familiar in 1992. Amid a crush of cameras and onlookers, the straight-talking Texas software billionaire was there to tell politicians the way things really worked, just the way a hard-nosed, reform-minded business leader......

Is California heading for a green gotterdammerung this November? Could be, in the wake of last week’s legislative approval of L.A. Assemblywoman Fran Pavley‘s bill that places California in the forefront of efforts to fight global warming by cutting tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases. Opponents are considering forcing a statewide......

The L.A. Department of Water and Power’s glistening new reputation as a “good guy” Green utility is fading in the summer sun. Despite extremely lofty goals, the DWP‘s solar-electric program has gone into a sudden and hard-to-pin-down eclipse. It’s part of what some environmentalists and informed sources inside the DWP......

Both the Gray Davis and Bill Simon campaigns vented steam last week at dogged reporters, and in characteristic ways: Team Davis with tough-guy bluster and the Simon crew with frat-boy officiousness. Davis chief strategist Garry South lectured the Capitol press corps in a public speech, then embarrassingly dressed down the......

NEW POLLS SHOW THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA is actually close. Which makes Republican nominee Bill Simon's performance at his first policy summit, this one on agriculture and water, all the more striking for its missed opportunities. A strong performance could have put Governor Gray Davis further on the......

Campaigns have their wacky moments. Bill Simon has more than his share, including some new gaffes on energy. But Governor Gray Davis, seasoned pro that he is, has them too, especially as he edges closer to a full embrace of L.A. Assemblywoman Fran Pavley‘s seemingly stalled bill to fight global......

Will this be the year when the California Green Party finally makes a significant showing in a statewide election? The Greens are banking on their gubernatorial nominee, millionaire and socially-responsible-investing guru Peter Camejo, drawing substantial support. And given widespread liberal dissatisfaction with Democratic Governor Gray Davis -- a dissatisfaction so......

Bill Simon has a problem dealing with serious questions. The Republican gubernatorial candidate has gotten much better with a script, vastly improved from his robotic delivery of last fall. But when asked to delve beneath the surface of that script, he has big problems. At a disastrous March press conference......

Governor Gray Davis is having trouble keeping Californians focused on the big issues. It‘s hard to feel sorry for him. After all, his administration is embroiled in a scandal over an overpriced, recklessly crafted $95 million contract for computer software from the Oracle Corp. The company also came up with......