The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did something highly unusual on Dec. 16: It revoked its previously granted approval for using a drug called Avastin to treat late-stage metastatic breast cancer. The FDA's decision dimmed the lights on the Christmas trees of some 17,500 breast-cancer patients whose doctors prescribed Avastin for them this year.

During this season of giving, imagine if California taxpayers could give the gift of a better education to thousands — even tens of thousands — of deserving children.

SACRAMENTO – We're about to witness a new twist on Sacramento's annual high-stakes budget game. Many Capitol observers believe that incoming Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats, who no longer need GOP budget support thanks to the Nov. 2 passage of Proposition 25, which allows budget approval with a simple majority rather than a supermajority, are looking to enact a balanced budget that includes deep cuts to public services.

On Dec. 17 the Food and Drug Administration is expected to take the radical step of revoking approval for an advanced drug in the treatment of one of the country's most deadly diseases.

California has to be a leader, the progressives tell us, by which they mean that ordinary people should just shut up and eat their spinach. The spinach is necessary for the good of mankind, ordinary people included, and, anyway, it tastes good, fills you up, and costs next to nothing. Trust us.

As the budget wars unfold, federal employees complain of being targeted as overpaid bureaucrats. A better target would be redundant and counterproductive federal agencies, which seem off-limits to the media.

The November election made a bull's-eye out of Obamacare, which some Republicans want to repeal. Obamacare is a worthy target because it is a significant lurch toward so-called "universal" health care.

SACRAMENTO At Jerry Brown's briefing Wednesday to discuss the dismal condition of the state budget, now plagued by a $25 billion deficit, the incoming governor said, "Everything should be on the table, and everyone should be at the table to talk about it."

SACRAMENTO At Jerry Brown's briefing Wednesday to discuss the dismal condition of the state budget, now plagued by a $25 billion deficit, the incoming governor said, "Everything should be on the table, and everyone should be at the table to talk about it."

Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration will issue a ruling that will be a major test of the credibility of promises the Obama administration has made about the future of Medicare under health reform.

Nearly every day, the public learns of new tales of pension-abusing public employees. Yet reform efforts are still miles away despite new state and federal proposals that attempt to rein in the problem.

SACRAMENTO – The response by pundits to the latest WikiLeaks classified-document dump has reminded me of a preacher who decries pornography, but who also insists on reading the dirty magazines page by page so that he can better understand the depth of the world's depravity. If WikiLeaks' actions were so wrong, why is there such widespread interest in these cables, often by the same people vociferously criticizing their release?

When the new Congress — including many representatives and senators purporting to be ideological citizen-activists inspired by the Tea Party — takes office Jan. 2, it is likely that perhaps the most unsettled issue in the nation’s history will be showcased: the debate over states' rights. This time, though, it may take the form of a proposed constitutional amendment to empower states against federal overreaches.

California's new superintendent of public instruction is Tom Torlakson, whose election locks in a status quo that short-circuits California students on high-tech delivery of educational services.

California's new superintendent of public instruction is Tom Torlakson, whose election locks in a status quo that short-circuits California students on high-tech delivery of educational services.

Obamacare has been passed with great fanfare, but many Americans, unsure how the massive government program will work for them, are taking to the streets voicing their protests. Personal injury lawyers, on the other hand, are drinking champagne and voicing their approval, because they know Obamacare will work well for them.

In the latest WikiLeaks data dump, around a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables were published online. "Cablegate," as it is being called, has revealed some rather startling information. Among the tech-relevant secrets, the State Department tasked agents to collect DNA and other biometric information on foreigners of interest.