The Schwarzenegger-Garcetti Climate Change Road Show
Yesterday may have been the initial stop of a Schwarzenegger-Garcetti road show promoting support by subnational governments for the Paris Climate Change Accord. At least, that idea of taking the presentation national was suggested after the former California governor and current Los Angeles mayor sat for a discussion on how to confront the climate change […]
Local initiative right still under legislative assault
Earlier this year I wrote of an assault on local democracy in the guise of an Assembly measure intending to force citizens to run a gauntlet of local planners and environmental analysis prior to gathering signatures for local ballot measures. In the intervening three months the measure has been overhauled several times, approved by the entire Assembly and now […]
Fault for High Priced Drugs Lies with Drug Makers
When it comes to how high they price their products, drug companies want the public to ignore what they spend on marketing and the tax breaks they get for direct-to-consumer advertising. Instead of simply acknowledging their pricing strategies, drug companies and their lobbyists have launched a finger-pointing campaign at pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). This isn’t […]
Trump’s Example Should Kill the Natural-Born-Citizen Clause
Here’s one bad thing that the Trump presidency should end: the U.S. constitution’s requirement that only a natural born citizen can be president of the United States. Trump’s example demolishes all the arguments for the clause. Chief among these is the clause’s supposed preventive power. The clause is supposed to be a guarantee against efforts […]
Could We Get an Effective Single Payer System for Education First?
A suggestion for my friends on the left: before you install a single-payer health care system for California, have you considered enacting an effective single-payer system for education first? You might say the public school system in California is single-payer. But you’d be wrong. For one thing, it doesn’t really cover everybody. And not just […]
Small Business Urges Senate to Pass Healthcare Reform
Obamacare has been burdensome for small business. This week, the Senate has a chance to do something about it. Year after year, when the National Federation of Independent Business surveys its members, they say their number one priority is healthcare, but the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, has made things more difficult for […]
As California Legislature divides on universal health care, Rendon does the right thing
Except for one year, two-plus decades ago, Democrats have controlled both houses of the California Legislature for nearly a half-century. Moreover, most members of the Senate are former members of the Assembly, so one might assume that the two houses are in synch and so duplicative that it might as well be a one-house Legislature. […]
GOP Field For California Governor Grows, And Chance Of All-Democrat Runoff
Last week Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) announced his candidacy for Governor of California. Allen, a firebrand conservative, will no doubt be popular with grassroots conservative activists around the state. The irony is that Allen’s candidacy may end up being a reason why California voters may be choosing between two Democrats on their general election […]
Let’s Party Till (Almost) Dawn
The San Fernando Valley area is great. In the entire Los Angeles area, it’s among the very best places to live and to work. But one thing it is not: party central. Be honest. If a visitor asks you for directions to the nearest hot spot, you’re likely to point toward Las Vegas. Now I […]