Why GOP Should Endorse Jerry
Dear California Republicans, As you hold your convention this weekend, your face many difficult questions about the future of your party. Fortunately, your choice for governor is obvious: it’s the incumbent Jerry Brown. Yes, Brown is, as a technical matter, a registered Democrat. But look at his rhetoric and his record, and it’s hard to […]
Our United State of Water
Yes, we’re in a drought, but there’s still good reason to break out the sand bags: to protect ourselves against a flood of conventional media wisdom about California water. As legislators and voters debate proposals for water infrastructure and bonds, TV stations and the L.A. Times have already declared that we’re in a “Water War.” […]
Make Me Join a Party
Independent-minded political reform in California is exactly backwards. Reformers rail against the evils of partisanship. But then they pursue reforms like redistricting reform and the top two that weaken political parties. Those parties, with fewer powers and thus fewer members, become smaller. And smaller parties are more dominated by true believers – which is to […]
Stand Down, Ron Nehring
Ron Nehring is taking one for the team, the Republican team, by stepping into the lieutenant governor’s race. That’s an honorable choice. But I wonder if he and his party might be better off if they sat this one out. Nehring’s view is that the California GOP, as a statewide party, needs to have a […]
Dear Alec Baldwin, L.A. Ain’t For You
Dear Alec Baldwin, Let me be the first to welcome you to the great state of California. I know you haven’t arrived yet. But, in a piece published in New York magazine that made headlines across the country, you made it plain that after years of being terrorized by Manhattan’s media and increasingly nosy public, […]
Dear Democrats, Don’t Let Your Tim Donnelly Creation Jump the Shark
Let’s give credit where it’s due. The Democrats’ creation of the person known to the world as Tim Donnelly was a masterstroke. I don’t know if it was Ace or Lehane or the boys at Google, and I don’t want to know. I don’t know if the fellow running around the state is an advanced, […]
Why Mexico is California’s China
Don’t look now, Californians. Mexico is about to pass us. Americans are intensely aware that China, with its rapid growth and expanding middle class, is likely to have a bigger economy than ours within a decade or two. But few Californians are aware that the growing Mexican economy, with its own expanding middle class, is […]
The Wise Men Want California Legislature to Be More Like Congress
Like a chant or a prayer, the words are repeated as we head into the legislative season. The California legislature does too much. They pass too many bills. Why all this trivia and silliness? Why introduce all these broad strokes that will never pass? Why not take great care and wait? Wise men from George […]
The Amazing, Enduring, Stubborn Strength of California Political Parties
Talk about missing the story. The Secretary of State’s new numbers on voter registration, in advance of the June first-round elections, produced headlines and news stories that missed the point of the figures. The stories portrayed the numbers as evidence of the weakness of California political parties, and emphasized another small drop in Republican voters […]
I Argue With Myself Over Dan Schnur
Of course, I’m for Dan Schnur for Secretary of State. I’m in the media, and he’s our candidate. We all know him. We’ve relied upon him for a quick quote for years. He’s a super-nice guy, returns phone calls fast, and is thoughtful and plays it straight. How could I not vote him? I can’t […]