California Initiatives Glide Past Economic Woes
According to the most recent Field Poll, nearly nine out of ten California voters say the state’s economy is a disaster, and two thirds of California voters expect the economy to remain stagnant or decline further in the year ahead. One would think, therefore, the dismal economy would be front and center in this year’s […]
Migration and Blue State California
Editor’s Note: Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters responded to Joel Fox’s piece yesterday on migration affecting the political orientation of California. Theory is correct but it happened in 90s, not in last decade. As I pointed out in chapter of “The New Political Geography of California,” big exodus from LA County occurred after collapse of […]
The Struggle for Education Reform Goes to the Movies
Opening in movie theaters today is “Won’t Back Down,” the story of a parent and teacher teaming up to improve the bad conditions at their local school. Pushback has come from the teacher’s unions, who feel unions are the villain of the piece. The story reflects the movement for the “parent trigger” which allows parents […]
Bringing the Movies Back to California
When tourists visit Los Angeles, they often flock to have their photo taken with the iconic Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills, visit Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and hope to run into a genuine movie star as they sightsee in the City of Angels. The little known secret these days is that the Hollywood sign […]
Prisons and Lawsuits
In 2008, CALA published a report titled, “Citizens in Chains: The High Cost of Prisoner Lawsuits to California.” The report discussed the average $32 million being spent every year on prisoner-initiated litigation and how it could be spent more in line with taxpayers’ interests. I started thinking about it again while attending a Folsom Prison […]