Single Payer Health Care and the 2020 CA Primary
In the week that Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced his Medicare for All bill backed by a number of Democratic senators, including California’s Kamala Harris, the California legislature is moving a bill to jump the 2020 presidential primary in the Golden State from June to early March. The two items are closely connected. Deep blue California […]
AB 1250 Would Make the Poor More Miserable
As we have seen again in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harveyand Irma, Americans are the world’s most charitable people. From food banks and religious groups, to the Red Cross andHabitat for Humanity, our people help out those most in need. I also can speak from experience as a county treasurer and supervisor that nonprofits provide crucial services to the poorestand least among […]
PPIC Polling and the Immigration Debate
One of the most important issues for Californians in the first year of the Trump administration is changing federal immigration policy. Immigrants are a significant presence in California, and even more so in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles, the state’s most populous county, is home to more than 10 million people, including more immigrants than […]
California Politicians Not Serious About Fixing Housing Crisis
California’s political leaders, having ignored and even abetted our housing shortage, now pretend that they will “solve it.” Don’t bet on it. Their big ideas include a $4 billion housing subsidy bond and the stripping away of local control over zoning, and mandating densification of already developed areas. None of these steps addresses the fundamental […]
Will Legislators Choose California’s Past or Its Future?
This week, legislators in Sacramento decide whether to cast a vote for California’s past or its future. Labor unions inserted a provision into a cap-and-trade bill (AB134/SB119) designed to smooth a unionization effort against the automaker Tesla. As a unionized California employee of a dying industry–printing the paper edition of the Los Angeles Times–I can […]