Why California’s Once-Dismissed Idea to Give Everyone a Basic Income Is Gaining Ground
Do you want your ham and eggs, California? It is one of the oldest and most enduring ideas in our state: Government should provide everyone with a minimum amount of money on a regular basis. It goes back to the 1930s, when Californians narrowly rejected the so-called “Ham and Eggs” proposals to give Californians a […]
An Irresponsible Budget
The January budget announcement was a dispiriting reminder: Gov. Jerry Brown is a fetishist, not a strategist. His fetish is being cheap in budget terms. He was cheap at the beginning of his term when the California economy and budget were a mess. He was cheap a couple years in when things had improved. And […]
Let’s Face It, California Is Nuts
My fellow Californians, the state of our state is nuttier than ever. In saying that, I do not meant to judge the sanity of individual Californians—to the contrary, national surveys show we have lower rates of mental illness than the country as a whole. And, to be clear, I am referring to more than the […]
California Office Pool 2016
This marks the seventh annual version of the California Office Pool. It was inspired by the late, great New York Times columnist William Safire, who made a habit of writing an annual column he called Office Pool. In it, Safire offered, multiple-choice style, a series of possible news events that could take place in the […]
California’s Ever-Expanding High School Football Season Is Risky
How many state champions does California need? There’s a new answer to this question: 13. That’s how many state football champions California will crown this weekend during five state bowl games at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium and eight other games around the state. And that’s a big increase from the five state champions we had […]
Why Not a Tax Convention?
The papers say that the future of taxation in California is being debated and decided these days, but those decisions, and those debates take place behind closed doors. The state’s powerful interest groups and some of its richest citizens – those who can file a ballot initiative and pursue a campaign – have put forth […]
Black Bart Nominee: Uber Alles
This was not a big political year in California, at least in the political realm. There were no big elections, no great ballot measures. The younger (though not that young) generation of political leaders made preparations for future races – in 2016, in 2018. But the conventional political realm didn’t produce anything worthy of a […]
The U.S. Supreme Court vs. Los Angeles
What does the U.S. Supreme Court have against Los Angeles? Quite a bit, to judge by recent oral arguments in a case challenging how legislative districts are drawn in the U.S. The case involves a Texas challenge to the longstanding principle that legislative districts should have the same number of people in them. And people […]
Kobe for Governor
Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star, has announced that he’ll retire when the basketball season ends in April. What should he do next? My suggestion: he’s exactly what this state needs in a governor. Kobe has been criticized for many reasons, but no one has ever accused him of being cautious. Indeed, he has […]
How California Invented Christmas
Do the good citizens of New Orleans skip town during Mardi Gras? Do proper New Englanders take tropical cruises when their trees display their most glorious fall colors? Would New Yorkers dare sneak out of Times Square 10 minutes before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve? Of course not. So why must I leave […]