Jerry on the March
When your governor is ad-libbing a line from the Battle Hymn of the Republic to the end of a major speech, you know you live in times of conflict. That’s how Jerry Brown ended his State of the State address (“His truth is marching on”), which was a ripping-good speech if you’re about to start […]
Amen Brother Trump and other Nods to Bipartisanship
“Amen to that, brother,” Governor Jerry Brown exhorted in his state of the state speech in support of President Donald Trump’s call for spending $1 trillion on infrastructure improvements. It was the only sense of cooperation the governor offered to the new president and some of his expected policies. While Brown set down markers saying […]
Gov. Brown’s 2017 State of the State Ignores Housing, School Disasters
Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2017 State of the State address, given Jan. 24, ignored what most Californians would regard as the state’s two biggest problems: lack of housing affordability and the dismal state of K-12 public schooling. He rhapsodized about how welcoming California is to the immigrants streaming in here: “In California, immigrants are an integral […]
“Sticky” Numbers in California’s Lobbying and Ballot Initiative Wars
To catch on in a crowded marketplace of ideas, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, a concept must be communicated in a way that is simple,unexpected, and credible. Last year, voters were confronted by a 200-page voter guide, 17 statewide ballot measures and a swarm of local questions. […]