And They’re Off—First Debate on a 2016 Ballot Initiative
It’s not even 2016 yet but the first debate over a probable initiative on the November 2016 ballot took place in Dana Point yesterday when former Board of Equalization member Conway Collis squared off with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association president Jon Coupal over the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Act. The debate was hosted […]
Black Bart Nominee: Uber Alles
This was not a big political year in California, at least in the political realm. There were no big elections, no great ballot measures. The younger (though not that young) generation of political leaders made preparations for future races – in 2016, in 2018. But the conventional political realm didn’t produce anything worthy of a […]
Los Angeles: City Of Losers?
When I arrived in Los Angeles four decades ago, it was clearly a city on the rise, practicing its lines on the way to becoming the dominant metropolis in North America. Today, the City of Angels and much of Southern California lag behind not only a resurgent New York City, but also L.A.’s longtime regional rival, San […]
Latest Idea To Curb Second Amendment Gun Rights Won’t Fly
It’s a great idea to ban terrorists and suspected terrorists from buying firearms, but the U.S. government’s “No Fly List” can’t be used to do it. The problem is that the no-fly list is secret. The government won’t say who’s on it, or how they got on it, or how they can get off it. […]
No Joe, It Should be Jennifer Lawrence for Governor
In a recent column here Joe Mathews, observer of all things political and an excellent journalist with a quirky sense of humor, launched the Kobe for Governor “campaign”. But I have another candidate in mind. Move over Kobe and make way for Jennifer Lawrence. Joe offers up Kobe because he hasn’t hesitated to shoot the […]