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. […]
Why California’s EPA waivers matter: The air we breathe
Here are four reasons why Californians – and everyone else in America who breathes oxygen – should be alarmed that Scott Pruitt, the Trump Administration’s nominee to become EPA secretary, testified last week he may not grant waivers for California to exercise its authority under the federal Clean Act to enact air quality regulations that […]
Appellate court hears arguments on cap-and-trade auction
A Sacramento appellate court will hear oral arguments this morning on a closely-watched lawsuit filed by CalChamber concerning the California Air Resources Board’s cap-and-trade auction. In 2012, CalChamber sued the ARB seeking to invalidate the auction in violation of Proposition 13. The complaint asserts that AB 32 does not authorize the ARB to impose fees […]
Local Governments Have the Power to Approve More Housing
Recently, pundits have suggested – even here on these pages – that but for the absence state involvement, California wouldn’t be suffering its worst housing crisis ever. One pro-industry advocacy group in particular has been touting its “solutions”, joining with the same crowd that’s advocated for tougher rent control, affordable housing mandates on new construction […]
California: Venezuela on the Pacific
Check out the nearby photo, which I took yesterday, Jan. 22, at 4:57 pm during the weekend deluge. The men in yellow slickers are filling in large potholes in Atlanta Avenue just east of Beach Boulevard, California Highway 39. The yellow light is a flashing caution sign. The rain did not create the potholes, but […]
Looking Ahead—and Back—at the State of the State Address
Governor Jerry Brown’s 14th State of the State address tomorrow undoubtedly will carry a defense of California policies in the era of President Donald Trump. But what else might we expect and hope to hear from the governor? During last year’s State of the State Address, Governor Brown closed with the issue of climate change. Expect […]