Why unions and the private sector should work together as partners in job creation
Five million Californians earn less than $12.50 per hour whereas 2.5 million of us are members of a union. Ominously, for those who are concerned with economic justice, California union membership is expected to drop by over a half million people following next year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. Illinois, a case about […]
Janus: the Beginning of the End of California’s Pension Crisis?
Cities in California are already starting to crash and burn because of an unsustainable pension system for public employees. With CalPERS expected to significantly raise rates cities are paying each year just to keep up with the liabilities, Oroville is just the latest example of a Californian city on the brink. Thanks to the US […]
KCET Fills Public Affairs Programming Gap in LA
Not enough local and state affairs find its way on television but Los Angeles’ independent public television station, KCET, works to fill the gap. Debuting this month on KCET will be two shows dedicated to local life in LA—the award winning SOCAL CONNECTED returns along with a new series, TOWN HALL. While SOCAL CONNECTED is […]
A California-Catalonia Secession Connection?
In a year when protests against federal government has become as fashionable in California as board shorts, the protests on the last Saturday of September stood out. They were for the right of Catalonian sovereignty. Yes, that’s Cataloania, one of Spain’s 17 semi-autonomous regions, home to 7.5 million people and the exquisite city of Barcelona. […]
Are We Ready For Legal Psychedelic Mushrooms?
Kevin Saunders, a mayoral candidate in Marina, a town near Monterrey, recently filed a state ballot initiative to decriminalize mushrooms containing the psychedelic compound psilocybin. Sensing a shift in public sentiment in the wake of California’s historic legalization of marijuana, scheduled to go into effect in early 2018, Saunders was evidently also inspired because of […]
Why the Governor Should Veto SB 63
The business community supports and promotes family-friendly policies so long as these measures do not impose an undue financial or compliance burden upon businesses operating in this state. Unfortunately, SB 63 (Jackson) does not fit this mold. To make matters worse, last year Governor Brown vetoed a similar bill by the same author that would […]
Unusual Alliances Brought Success for L.A. School Construction
At a time of toxic national polarization, a Los Angeles success story 20 years in the making was recently completed, because people with different political perspectives worked together to accomplish a goal — repair schools and build new schools efficiently and cost-effectively for L.A.’s students. After a rocky start, the building of 131 new schools […]
What is Farmworkers Union Hiding From?
United Farmworkers Union (UFW) president Arturo Rodriguez recently sent a letter to several agricultural organizations, elected officials, and water groups intended to bully the recipients into supporting an effort to disbar an attorney in a closely watched labor case, Jose Arias v. Anthony Raimondo. The letter made several unproven allegations about events surrounding the deportation of a dairy worker. After […]
OC High Schools: Nowhere to Go But Up On Voter Registration
Orange County set a participation record in the last presidential election, with more than 80% of registered voters casting ballots, the highest percentage in 40 years. High schools in the OC, however, are not setting any records on a key test of engaging young adults in the political process. Students in California can pre-register to vote at […]