Santa Barbara Deserves a Special Session
Gov. Jerry Brown would be wise to convene a special session, as soon as possible, to look hard at the shootings in Santa Barbara. The framing question is: What Would It Take to Prevent Anything Like This From Happening Again? That’s the question that has been pressed by the father of one of the victims […]
Will the National Momentum Towards the GOP Establishment Continue to California?
Discouraged by repeatedly losing the White House, daunted by electoral demographics and branded by the more extreme elements of its base, the party out of power began its long journey out of the wilderness by focusing early resources on viable, moderate candidates and methodically executing smart campaigns. We’re referring, of course, to the Democratic party […]
A Moment of (Semi) Agreement with John Vasconcellos
With the passing of John Vasconcellos, it has been frequently noted that the former legislator was often ridiculed for his self-esteem commission. I was on that bandwagon at the time, but way in the back, on rare occasion poking at the commission as another area in which government was extending its influence while ignoring basic […]
Playing Politics with Science and Safety
Well, that didn’t take long. Only three months after the ink was dry on a new program that directs state scientists to evaluate chemicals used in consumer products, bureaucrats and some politicians like San Francisco Senator Mark Leno have decided to change the rules midstream. Once again, politics trumps policy and it’s precisely the result […]
South LA Parents Union Bargains with LAUSD Like Any Other Powerful Union
Last Friday, LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy came to West Athens Elementary School in South LA to sign a groundbreaking Partnership Agreement with the leadership of the West Athens Parents Union, called the “Aguilas de West Athens” (AWA). It marked not only an important day for the children of West Athens Elementary, but also an […]
Why The Green Party Opposes Proposition 42
Grassroots Democracy is one of the Key Values of the Green Party. We take transparency and access to information about one’s government very seriously. That is why Proposition 42 – sponsored by the state legislature – is so disappointing. Either democracy is taken seriously, or it is not. Proposition 42 would amend the state constitution to mandate […]