The 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project has been approved by the California Energy Commission. When built, it will be the first large-scale solar thermal plant in the US in over 20 years and will generate enough power for 100,000 homes.

In 2008, the California city of Vallejo took the unprecedented step of filing for bankruptcy. A combination of falling revenues caused by the collapse of the real estate bubble and rising public pension costs cratered their finances. Other California cities and counties are watching how Vallejo manages, and may well follow suit.

The Orange County Register, certainly no friend of Democrats, has broken a major story about Jerry Brown and the size of the pension he will receive from the state government when he retires. Under the law, Brown is eligible for a pension of $73,720 based on his 16 years of service.

Legislative Democrats have proposed another one of their goofy tax swaps in an effort to lessen the gaping $19 billion budget deficit. Oh, pardon me, did I say “goofy.” Well, what else would you call a proposal that increases state income tax by 1% and lowers sales tax, claiming it will lessen the tax burden on Californians yet increase revenues by $1.8 billion?