Direct Democracy and Bull
It’s healthy for a journalist to be on the other side of the notebook once in a while. That’s where I found myself on Friday – in San Sebastian, Spain, of all places. This beautiful city in the Basque Country, and on the Atlantic Ocean, is where the 2016 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy […]
SB 1349 Cal-Access Bill Is Another Step Forward In California’s Political Reform Era
When key state leaders gathered Monday for a press conference to promote a bill (SB 1349) authorizing the Secretary of State to create a modern online campaign finance reporting and disclosure system, it represented another step forward in California’s era of reform. Secretary of State Alex Padilla, Senator Bob Hertzberg, Los Gatos software entrepreneur Jim Heerwagen, California Common Cause Executive […]
Mass Transit Expansion Goes Off The Rails In Many U.S. Cities
Journalists in older cities like New York, Boston or San Francisco may see the role of rail transit as critical to a functioning modern city. In reality, rail transit has been a financial and policy failure outside of a handful of cities. In 23 metropolitan areas that have built new rail systems since 1970, transit’s share of […]
Dr. Mary Walker: The Only Woman to Win the Congressional Medal of Honor, Ahead of Her Time
(Editor’s Note: In recognition of Women’s History Month, which originated in California, I am reprinting below an article I wrote on Dr. Mary Walker telling of her trials and tribulations in first winning, then losing, and finally being re-awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor earned during the Civil War; and her other political strivings. The article […]
Fourth Sales Tax Hike for Transit Faces Uphill Climb in the San Fernando Valley
A bus schedule drew the biggest applause of the night at the second Valley Transportation Summit, held recently at California State University Northridge. “We have committed to realigning our bus service with the class schedules in a way that makes sense, beginning in June of this year,” Metro’s Deputy CEO Stephanie Wiggins told the packed […]