Election Day Implications
The 2018 primaries are upon us, and they could either be momentous or just of passing note. California voters may hold the keys. The marque race in California pits four Democrats against two Republicans who may be heavily over-matched if the usual blue-state predictions are correct. Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom appears to be surging at […]
A Prominent Californian Weighs In On the Future of the Republic
Amidst all the dreary speculation of our Republic being in imminent danger of collapse, there is still a flicker of optimism coming from some unusual quarters. One of those places is the University of California, Berkeley—hardly a bastion of conservatism—where Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary for in the Clinton Administration, holds forth as a […]
Kevin McCarthy and Dianne Feinstein are on Separate Paths but Should have a Common Goal
Two of the institutions that could play a major role in Pres. Donald Trump’s future are the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Depending on developments in coming weeks two of California’s most prominent political figures could have star turns in each chamber—Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Judiciary Committee member in the Senate, and Kevin […]
Paul Ryan’s Departure and its Implications for California
Leaving aside the investigations into the deepest recesses of President Donald Trump’s nefarious business dealings, the next worst thing that could happen to him is the loss of even fragile support for his shaky legislative agenda. It may have just happened with the announced retirement of Paul Ryan as House Speaker. California’s House Majority Leader, Kevin […]
Are California Representatives with Student Marchers on Gun Control?
Make no mistake about it—the hundreds of thousands of young people in Los Angeles, San Francisco and 800 cities across the nation and world who joined in the March for Our Lives laid down a gauntlet which cannot be ignored. In Washington, D.C where a rally comparable in size to the Civil Rights Marches and Vietnam War […]
Leadership and Autocratic Rule
California has had its share of towering leaders—-Governors Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, (who also became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Ronald Reagan, and Governor Edmund G. Brown. Senators William Knowland and Dianne Feinstein along with the first woman House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (both still serving) and the current head of state, Jerry Brown, could […]
Are California Voters Ready for Changes?
The California Democratic Party’s denial of its endorsement to veteran U.S. Senator, Dianne Feinstein (D-SF), at its recent convention in San Diego, was a slap in the face. But reading too much into it would be a mistake and most voters were probably unaware it even took place. Democrats are by nature a querulous lot […]
ICE Takes on CA Sanctuary Cities
The sudden unleashing of an army of federal immigration agents on dozens of northern California businesses suspected of hiring illegal workers signals a new chapter in the federal government’s declaration of war against California. Though no arrests have been made—at least not yet—these surprise raids are reminiscent of storm-trooper tactics in third world countries when […]
California: Role Model or Permanent Outlier?
California will enter the New Year as it has entered almost every other one before it—a trend-setter for the nation with goofy notions, and a suspicious outlier to those regions which will never catch up. It is the cranky uncle who takes comfort in watching others squirm and finds nothing wrong with creative disruption […]
San Francisco Features a Mayoral Race that Could turn into a Brawl
San Francisco politics—a mix of the very good and the very ugly— are usually a bell weather for only one city—San Francisco. There is no plain “bad.” This is a city of extremes. If Trump ever gets his great wall, it will bear no comparison to the two great bridges in the City by the […]