Playgrounds for Elites
The revival of America’s core cities is one of the most celebrated narratives of our time—yet, perhaps paradoxically, urban progress has also created a growing problem of increasing inequality and middle-class flight. Once exemplars of middle-class advancement, most major American cities are now typified by a “barbell economy,” divided between well-paid professionals and lower-paid service […]
Revisiting Feinstein and Formerly Anti-Immigrant Pols
I recently wrote in this space about Dianne Feinstein’s development – 25 years ago – of an approach to “illegal” immigration that became a template for more virulent anti-immigrant attacks from politicians from Pete Wilson to Donald Trump. I heard from many people in response. Feinstein’s partisans said it was unfair. More than a year […]
Is it About Sexual Harassment or About Getting a “Vote?”
Could Senator Tony Mendoza’s situation lead to California’s Roy Moore moment when politics and the need for legislative votes overshadow the moral concerns dealing with sexual harassment? Let’s hope not. Should Mendoza follow former Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra’s example and resign the Democrats lose their supermajority in the Senate. A number of Republicans back Moore for […]
New California Cannabis Rules Ensure a Safe, Budding Industry for the Long Haul
What a difference a half-year makes – especially for the budding California pot industry! This past June, our elected leaders passed Senate Bill 94, laying the foundation of new rules and regulations for cannabis growing, distribution, and sales across the Golden State. The legislation created the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) […]
Brown, with nothing to lose, defies unions on pensions
“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose,” singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson philosophized in his classic blues song, “Me and Bobby McGee,” a half-century ago. Kristofferson’s tune would be an apt anthem for Gov. Jerry Brown as he winds down his own half-century-long career in politics – especially so since Kristofferson once campaigned for him. Unless something […]
A Great America needs homegrown talent, but tax plan chops at our roots
America is by all accounts a dynamo of innovation. The factors that make America great include our entrepreneurs, our research, and our American willingness to take risks on new ideas, all of which power our ability to compete globally. But, all these amazing strengths depend on access to education, for those people willing to pursue […]
Tax Reform: Tax the Rich—Except Not Us
I do not personally support the Republican tax reform plan, at least in its present form. I do support the components of the reform which would eliminate the federal income tax deduction for state income taxes and property taxes and which would reduce the cap on the deduction of mortgage interest payments from $1 million […]
A Tax Bill that could Increase the Deficit and Lead to Recession.
I am a Keynesian. By that I mean that John Maynard Keynes’ predictions are generally confirmed by evidence—and that the key to economic vitality is aggregate demand. While Keynes has been dead for more than 70 years, new evidence suggests that his educated suppositions developed during the great depression were generally correct. For example, my USC […]
Skimming Hurts California’s Most Vulnerable
Skimming is not a union practice that went out when the closing credits for “On The Waterfront” first rolled in 1954. It’s still alive today. And it’s hurting some of California’s most vulnerable residents, while at the same time stuffing the treasury of politically powerful unions and financially exploiting those who care for the sick, […]