Another Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect in January
Earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 3 by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The bill is now Chapter 4 and it amends Sections 245.5, 246 and 1182.12 of the Labor Code. As a result of the enactment of this bill, California’s minimum wage is going up on January 1, 2017 […]
Little Policy Innovation From Ballot Measures
The laboratories of democracy were relatively quiet last week. Voters in 35 states considered 154 measures on their ballots, but few broke new ground. Even California, often considered the bellwether for new voter-driven policies and flush with 17 measures on the ballot, behaved conventionally. The most far-reaching and unpredictable measures on California’s ballot failed. Proposition […]
Delaine Eastin Runs for Governor
In California, bad politicians don’t fade away, they run for governor. The latest is Delaine Eastin, the former superintendent of public instruction best known for trying to kill off homeschooling. In announcing her bid, she told the Los Angeles Times, “I’m a very frustrated person who’s been watching from the sidelines for some time now…. […]
They’re Off and Running for 2018
With the Senate race behind her, Loretta Sanchez has at least a few political routes forward. She could try for governor or another statewide office in 2018, wait to see if Dianne Feinstein retires and make another attempt at the Senate, or stay closer to home and run for a position in Orange County, such as on the Board […]
California Jumps the Shark
America may have trended toward the GOP, but California seems determined to find its own direction. The only question is, simply, how much more progressive the Golden State will become, even in the face of a far more conservative country beyond the Sierras. This election confirmed, if it was needed, the death spiral of the […]
California Is An Alternate Universe
The Union has just seceded from California. While the rest of the country was electing Donald Trump and returning Republican Congressional majorities, California turned an even deeper shade of blue. The Golden State delivered a drubbing to The Donald. Hillary Clinton piled up a 2.5 million vote margin over Trump, swamping him 62% to 33%. […]
5 California Winners in Election Results
There are still many ballots to count, but here’s a preliminary list of the biggest California winners in the November elections. 1 — Gov. Jerry Brown. His Prop 57 won, and it appears he managed to defeat Prop 53. Kamala Harris’ victory means he’ll get to appoint a new attorney general. Plus, he’s now the […]
New Political Victors Would Arise From National Popular Vote
Once it became clear Donald Trump’s Electoral College triumph would be accompanied by a popular vote loss, USA Today predicted “attempts to kill the Electoral College.” On cue, supporters of the national popular vote (NPV) compact redoubled efforts to effectively do just that. In the name of advancing democracy and making every vote count, the NPV compact […]
Remembering Our Veterans Today
The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.—George Washington