What’s Missing in the California Gun Bills: Money for Research
I recently had to moderate a Zocalo Public Square event on the gun debate, and in the process, I had to read research on gun politics and gun regulation, from a wide variety of sources. What stood out in my reading was how old most of the research is. Whether the research was about the […]
Calderon Scandal A Reminder About Absolute Power
“Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.” – William Pitt, British Prime Minister, 1770 The alleged corrupt behavior of State Senator Ron Calderon has been at the center of California politics since the release by Al Jayzeera America last week of a sealed FBI agent’s affidavit detailing how Calderon […]
Who Will Benefit From Chuck Reed’s Pension Plans? Lawyers, Not Taxpayers
While San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed preaches fiscal responsibility as code for statewide pension overhaul, his own city is racking up millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded legal fees as a result of his pension bashing plans that have ended up in court. This week, taxpayers ponied up nearly another $1 million this week to defend Reed’s blatantly […]
Pivot, Adapt, Retrain in California
Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a review of the workforce system in Los Angeles. The review is to be undertaken under former Councilmember Jan Perry current head of the new Economic Workforce Development Department. It is aimed at improving the processes of job training and especially of retraining. Any workforce review in […]
Why Our UCSD $100 Million Benefactor Lives in South Dakota
There’s a good news story on the front page of the San Diego U-T about Denny Sanford, a philanthropist who just gave $100 MILLION to UCSD for medical research. A genuinely generous man with a vacation home in La Jolla, his avowed goal is to give away his billion+ dollar fortune during his lifetime. Such […]