On Initiative Reform, Ignore the What’s Next CA Deliberative Poll
A couple weeks ago, the brilliant Pete Peterson, of Pepperdine’s Davenport Institute, used this space to point to the deliberative poll, What’s Next California, as a guide for public opinion on initiative reform, a topic being debated today. I hate to contradict, Pete, but….well… I know that deliberative poll. I attended that deliberative poll. That […]
Memo to Feds: Leave the Prisons, Take the Courts
Judging by the news of the last week, the federal government is running the wrong part of California justice system. The feds are clinging tight to oversight of the prisons, even though, by many measures, the prisons in California are better than in many states. More resources have been devoted to prison health care. Facilities […]
Wanted: a War President for UC
If I were interviewing candidates to replace Mark Yudof as president of the University of California, my first question would be: Have you ever hit anyone in the face? The second question would be: if you have, did you like it? I’d be tempted not to consider any candidate who didn’t answer both questions in […]
LA Mayor’s Race as Example of California Dysfunction
LA is a city of 4 million people. In an election for the mayor of such a place, you would think that a wide variety of voices would count. In reality, few do. Even in such a big city, a few small players dominate the political contest. The most powerful of these are public employees […]
One Man, Two Votes—Why Not?
L.A. Asked Me To Vote In Its Mayoral Election. Sure, It’s Illegal, But It’s Also a Good Idea. When a politically minded friend recently told me he was voting for Kevin James for mayor of Los Angeles, I told him I’d have to call the police. I have nothing against James, mind you. I just […]
Prop 8 as Example of Anti-Democratic Democracy
The brilliant Bob Stern, leading expert on California’s initiative process, likes to issue the following challenge to audiences: can you name an initiative that Californians passed that they would overturn if they could? My answer to that has been: he may be right, and it shows that voters are the problem. Think of it this […]
Another Education Debate That’s Not About Education
How can you tell when there’s a big debate in California about education? When nobody’s talking about actual education. California education debates are always about formulas, not schools. Take the current back and forth over Prop 98. The governor’s office has provided a budget that includes certain moneys in the Prop 98 education funding guarantee. […]
Dorner Manhunt Puts a Different Spin on State vs. Local
It is an article of faith in California governance circles that local trumps state. It’s supposedly better to have decisions made and services delivered at the local level. Local officials should be trusted over the folks sent from Sacramento. The manhunt for the cop-turned-killer Christopher Dorner flipped this narrative, in an illustrative way. How? The […]
Who Should Get Those January Revenues?
California has a problem: more money than anticipated. What to do? Nearly $5 billion more than expected came into the state in January. That might be good news. But this is the Brown era, an era when there’s nothing so sexy as austerity and frugality, and everyone in the know can tell you that we […]
How Philosophy Explains High-Speed Rail
I didn’t understand Gov. Jerry Brown’s state of the state speech, but my fellow members of the press let me know it was brilliant. All those quotes – from philosopher to the Bible to the Little Engine That Could – explained everything, I’m told. So I’ve decided to learn, to turn over a new leaf, […]