Fire…Hell!
California is ablaze north and south. Terrible fires, terrible loss of life and loss of property. Fires in California are a too common phenomenon. Yet, this series of fires seem particularly vicious. Governor Brown quickly declared disaster emergencies and the federal government offered help. President Trump approved a disaster declaration for California. Vice-president Pence, on […]
Could U.S. Supreme Court Make California’s Map an Unconstitutional Gerrymander?
Formulas have already made California’s governing system a dysfunctional mess. Could a new formula from the U.S. Supreme Court do the same to California’s redistricting reform? That seems very possible after oral arguments in a challenge to districts drawn by the Wisconsin legislature. The challenge argues that the Wisconsin gerrymander was too partisan – the […]
Opposing the California Water Fix Is Courting Disaster
During the recent five-year drought, residents and businesses in Los Angeles were saved from disaster by water that was imported to Southern California from the mountains and rivers of Northern California via the State Water Project and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). In fact, imported water from MWD is the reason we have averted disaster […]
Why I am Quitting the Sierra Club
In 1902 John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and my favorite environmentalist wrote: “Fortunately, nature has a few big places beyond man’s power to spoil–the ocean, the two icy ends of the globe, and the Grand Cañon.” The great conservationist was wrong. Our increasing demand for power, water storage and combustion of fossil fuels […]
California Labor Decides It Likes Billionaires After All
This is the era of billionaires. If you’re a company or a nonprofit or a politician, you probably spend a lot of time searching for one rich person to fund you – or tending to the rich person who already does. The one exception to this was the House of Labor. The unions could tap […]
Feinstein is Running for Senate. Who Else?
Dianne Feinstein dusted off her personal Twitter account this morning and used it for the first time since April to tweet: @DianneFeinstein – “I am running for reelection to the Senate. Lots more to do: ending gun violence, combating climate change, access to healthcare. I’m all in!” The tweet was followed by a Facebook post and press […]
California Employers Ought to Give Their Employees a Career Choice
First off, the answer is “yes.” I loved to fly as a U.S. Naval aviator. But the best part of my service – first as an aviator, later in the Pentagon, and now in the Reserves – has been watching young men and women, from every walk of life, earn a place at the American […]
Praise for Firefighters; Support for Small Business
Wildfires in California are wreaking havoc, and destroying homes and communities. Thank you to all of the firefighters and forest service personnel bravely working to keep everyone safe. * * * Boosting Small Business Cybersecurity In the last 12 months, hackers have breached half of all small businesses in the United States, according to the […]
Any CA March Primary Consequences for the President?
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill moving California’s presidential primary to early March 2020 and all the focus has been on what that means for Democratic candidates, Californians who might run for president, and setting the Democratic agenda for the entire campaign. But it is possible that the move to March might have an influence […]