What County Fairs Are Good For
I’m feeling guilty for having failed, as of this writing, to fulfill a central responsibility of California citizenship. I haven’t been to my county’s fair this year. The Los Angeles County Fair can be an ordeal. It is an event as sprawling and vast as L.A. itself, and parking is $15. The county insists on […]
Has Brown Done Lasting Damage to the Initiative Process?
If you have a good idea in California, Jerry Brown has made life harder for you to get attention for it. Before Jerry Brown became governor of California again in 2011, voters could consider ballot initiatives at any statewide election; this spread out measures and gave each initiative more of a chance to make its […]
Can California Women Keep Bailing the State Out?
If it weren’t for women, California would be in even bigger trouble. Despite all the state’s obstacles and struggles, one big reason why we keep getting wealthier and more productive is women, and their hard work. As a new report from the California Budget & Policy Center reminds, women are working more and more. In […]
Junipero Serra May Have Been a Saint, but He Wasn’t California’s Founding Father
Could sainthood be bad for Junipero Serra’s reputation? Serra has long been a singular figure in California, widely called the state’s “founding father” for the Catholic mission system he started in the 18th century. Schools, parks, roads, and even one of the state’s most beautiful stretches of freeway (I-280 from Daly City to San Jose) […]
6 Questions That Should Be Asked at the Debate
1. Many Silicon Valley companies have designed devices and systems with methods of encryption that preventing the federal government from snooping on users via technical backdoors. Federal law enforcement has criticized these companies and and battled them legally. As president, would you side with the FBI or Silicon Valley? 2. Greater Los Angeles is in […]
Re-reading the Pension Measure With the Markets in Turmoil
The big drops in the stock market can make people reassess their portfolio. I found myself wanting to reassess Chuck Reed and Carl DeMaio’s pension measure. As readers know, I’m deeply skeptical of the ability of ballot measures to resolve difficult problems without making things worse. And the legislative analyst office assessment of the latest […]
Behind Late Session Defeats for Big Policies, You’ll Find the Mistakes of Reformers
It is entertaining to watch the late-session gnashing of the teeth by the press corps, good government types and Gov. Brown about defeats for big efforts to make changes. Isn’t it terrible that the oil companies managed to neuter SB 350? Isn’t it terrible how the legislature and governor were stymied on finding a way […]
Professional Football Has a California Problem
Pro football has a “California problem.” So say some of the most powerful people in the sport. And as a new National Football League season kicks off this weekend, they are busily pursuing thoughtless solutions to the California problem that won’t be good for the state or its biggest regions. Which makes this the right […]
Note to Jean Fuller: Republicans Always Raise Taxes
Jean Fuller, the latest unlucky soul to win a seat in the never-ending game of musical chairs known as the Republican legislative leadership, declared upon taking over that: “Republicans do not raise taxes.” That certainly is the stereotype. But, in California at least, it’s not the truth. Here, Republicans always raise taxes. The main reason […]
Will New Higher Initiative Fee Mean More Initiative Errors?
I’ll write more here in the weeks to come about Gov. Brown’s bad decision to sign a bill raising the ballot initiative filing fee from $200 to $2,000—by far the highest in the country. But before the ink is still dry, let me raise one very practical issue that should be dealt with quickly by […]