How do we address the housing crisis: one incremental step at a time
Productively addressing California’s housing crisis will require a long slog, not a magic bullet. The effective policies are politically treacherous, while the easy victories already have been chalked up. A broad consensus of nonpartisan policy experts and think tanks point to regulatory and litigation reform, particularly of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as the […]
Return of the “San Francisco Democrats”
While San Francisco Bay Area politicians dominated California politics over the past couple of decades as the state became more Democratic, the term “San Francisco Democrats” doesn’t play so well nationally. Those with long memories will recall the term “San Francisco Democrats” served as a pejorative attack against the party following the Democratic National Convention […]
Continued Education Critical to Ability of California Physicians to Treat Patients
Legislation currently before the Assembly that is aimed at eliminating undue influence in pharmaceutical prescribing will instead hinder the education of California medical professionals and limit their access to critical information about new medicines and treatments. The intent behind the legislation is to limit the promotional expenditures of the pharmaceutical industry, with the belief that […]
Trailer Bills Let California Lawmakers Slip New Policies into Budget
California senators were deep in heated debate about a small but politically explosive attachment to the state budget last week when a Riverside Democrat could be heard to suddenly channel Forrest Gump. “Trailer bills,” said Sen. Richard Roth—referring to pieces of legislation tied to the budget but sometimes bearing little connection to it—“are a box […]