“Who Are Those Guys” and Other Offbeat Notes on the Election
Remember when the super posse relentlessly chased Butch and the Kid through towns, across plains and up mountains in the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? The pair repeatedly asked aloud: “Who are those guys?” Political junkies were asking the same question election night when two unknowns – David Evans and Ronald Gold – […]
“For the Privilege of Doing Business in California…”
It’s one of those phrases that sticks in your head because it uniquely and simply describes a concept whose time has come. A friend who is the Chief Information Officer for a Bay Area municipality recently shared with me his department’s goal: whenever a resident engages with the City – whether it’s to obtain a […]
Prop 42: A Catalyst for Big Data Innovations in State/Local Government
A little-noticed measure on the June ballot passed by voters this week could fundamentally transform the role of government in the lives of everyday Californians and position the state to be a leader of the Big Data movement. On its face, Proposition 42 is a simple constitutional amendment. The measure clarifies that local governments must […]
California Should Authorize Internet Poker – the Right Way
After years of deliberations, the California legislature seems closer to licensing and regulating online poker. Now, only a few, yet significant, outstanding issues stand in the way as California poker players wait patiently on the sidelines for state lawmakers to pass much-needed legislation. Though millions of California poker players lost access to online poker years […]
Al Cowlings and His Ford Bronco Saved O. J. Simpson’s Life. The Trial that Followed Changed Us All.
Twenty years ago this month, Al Cowlings drove his friend—the football star, broadcaster, actor, and soon-to-be-accused murderer O.J. Simpson—around the freeways of greater Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco, trailed by police and with our entire state and nation watching. Ever since June 17, 1994, Southern California, for better and for worse, has not […]