Checking the Predictions–Taxes that Made the Statewide Ballot
Starting over two years ago, I wrote an occasional column conjecturing about which taxes might appear on the statewide November 2016 ballot via the initiative process. Changing political strategies moved the targets over time as I listed what I perceived to be the top five tax items that were being discussed as ballot initiatives. Now […]
“Grace and Frankie” and Growing Old in California’s Job Market
As we note from time to time on Fox & Hounds, popular culture often can help us think about employment issues, shedding light on emerging job market dynamics and spurring discussion. Grace and Frankie is the Netflix comedy-drama series, launched in May 2015, that released its second season of 13 episodes last month. Lily Tomlin […]
Diablo Canyon is Not the Devil
Smack dab in the middle of a record-setting heat wave and threats of rolling blackouts, Pacific Gas and Electric announced it will close the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in nine years. Just like that, 10 percent of the state’s energy supply will be gone. Coupled with the closure of San Onofre, California will be […]
South L.A. Doesn’t Need Saving
“How can we save South Los Angeles?” is a tired question. It’s an artifact of previous decades when the region formerly called South Central was known for crime, gangs, poverty, racial conflict, and the 1992 riots, the deadliest American urban uprising since the Civil War. So let’s retire the old query, and turn it upside […]
State Budget: Good Progress, but Transportation Void is Obvious
Last week Governor Brown signed a $171 billion California budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1 and the legislature adjourned for summer recess. The budget included major wins for the Chamber’s cradle-to-career education priorities to prepare California’s 21st century workforce. They included: Multi-year investment of $500 million by 2020, which will create […]