Cap-and-Trade Talk is All About the Money
When discussing California’s landmark Cap-and-Trade legislation set up to pay for carbon emissions there is more conversation about money than there is about climate change. How much will the program cost? How will the money be spent? How will the overall economy be affected if billions of dollars are being redirected by governmental regulations? On […]
Democrats Seek a Tax on Political Participation
Do only people without money have hateful or silly ideas? That appears to be the logic of Assembly Democrats. They recently passed a bill to increase the filing fee for ballot initiatives from $200 to $8,000. The logic, as laid out by Assemblyman Evan Low, was that a higher cost “will deter frivolous proposals from […]
Trouble in Paradise in the East Bay
Ostensively, it was “All Quiet on the Western Front” for the Contra Democratic Party at the May 31st fundraiser at Shadelands Ranch in Walnut Creek for Freshman Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord). Despite the outward Alfred E. Neuman-esque “What, me worry” attitude of various speakers including County Supervisor John Gioia and Superintendant of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, omitted from their remarks was […]
California’s Drought is a Communications and Policy Issue
In the face of California’s crippling drought, public agencies will have to employ wide-ranging strategies and tactics to educate, motivate, enforce, and reinforce messages about drastic water cutbacks. Their success or failure hinges on how they communicate to diverse audiences about managing water, a precious natural resource. In their dilemma, there are also communications lessons. […]