The FPPC’s New Role: The Internet Cop
Last week, as a parting gift to its chairwoman, Ann Ravel (who is slated to be confirmed to the Federal Election Commission), the California Fair Political Practices Commission enacted a sweeping proposal to regulate online political communication. The move makes California the first state to attempt to require the disclosure of online communication by someone […]
Bob Hope’s House is Up for Sale: Thanks for the Memories
The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that Bob Hope’s principal home in Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley is up for sale. That brought back memories — not of the silver dollars they use to give out at the house at Halloween making it a must stop location for even outside the neighborhood kids […]
From High-Speed Rail to Higher-Performing Rail
I am pleased to note that the U.S. Department of Transportation seems to have dropped its use of the phrase “high-speed rail” in describing the administration’s rail program in favor of “higher-performing rail.” The new usage first appeared (to our knowledge) in the Federal Railroad Administration’s announcement of the Final State Rail Plan Guidance— “to assist States in their […]
Do Californians Need a Passport to Democracy?
I recently found myself in front of the Rose Bowl, using my iPhone to take a selfie of me holding a Democracy Passport. The passport was in Swedish. It was produced in an advance of a Democracy Week declared by the city of Falun, Sweden at the end of this month. My friend and colleague […]