Wrestling with Funding Plans to Fix the Roads
There is consensus that California’s road and highways must be fixed. There is no consensus how the fix should be paid for. The Special Session legislative meeting Friday was called a first step in finding agreement to the funding problem. The Democrats see tax increases as part of the mix; Republicans want to prioritize the […]
Marinucci’s Move
I was glad to see the great political reporter Carla Marinucci land a new gig at Politico. I was sad to see her leave the San Francisco Chronicle, still a great and important newspaper. But there are lessons in such a move that go beyond her case. In a recent Zocalo Public Square column, I […]
CA Confronts a Prop. 47 Crime Wave
Nearly a year after California voters overwhelmingly agreed to lessen sentences and release inmates convicted of minor crimes, statistical and anecdotal evidence has cast doubt on the wisdom of Proposition 47. A souring trend Change has been swift, but results have been mixed, with little to suggest the dynamic is soon to shift. “In the […]
Dear California Teacher
In 2005, after having taught for 24 years, I was becoming quite agitated. All along I had been subsidizing the teachers unions’ political agenda and thought I had no choice in doing so. I then learned that I could opt out of the political portion of union dues, but the process to do so was […]