Californians Favor State Action on Climate, Immigration
The Trump administration has set a new course on two issues that have deep roots in California politics and policy: climate change and immigration. As state policymakers consider responses to the federal government on these issues, our most recent PPIC Statewide Survey finds that Californians are broadly supportive of the state taking its own action. In PPIC […]
Los Angeles Traffic: Likely To Worsen with Higher Densities
A few recent days driving the Los Angeles freeways impressed me with how different they are from in most other places in the country. The intensity of the traffic is astounding. Even on the weekend, travel over Sepulveda Pass on the San Diego Freeway (I-405) was highly congested. Traffic really never stopped, but frustratingly inched […]
SCA 1: A Warranty on Government Promises
California legislators can prove they believe their own promises if they pass Senate Constitutional Amendment 1 guaranteeing taxpayers would not be liable if the Secure Choice retirement plan for private workers has financial troubles. During debate over the Secure Choice plan legislators in support of the idea insisted that neither taxpayers nor businesses would be […]
More Government Won’t Help Sacramento’s Homeless Get Back On Their Feet
Sacramento’s mayor thinks he’s hit on an answer to the city’s homeless problem. He wants to provide them with housing vouchers. Of course, he’s likely to find the result will be the exact opposite of the one he’s looking for. In downtown Sacramento alone, there are reported to be more than 60 regular homeless living […]
L.A. Is Right to Sue State on Redistricting
A bit of good news on the political reform front. Los Angeles is resisting the state’s effort to impose dubious redistricting reform on the county. In a new law targeting only L.A. county, the state created a redistricting commission for the county based on the state version. The idea is to find people who have […]
Time to Act—Pass Comprehensive Tax Reform
Last Tuesday, President Trump outlined his legislative priorities before a joint session of Congress. While pundits quickly jumped on the president’s departure from his off-the-cuff approach, I’m glad to see that his agenda has received a great deal of air time in the past few days. Among the issues President Trump promised to address was […]
Nguyen for Governor?
Did the Democrats just gift California Republicans a viable candidate for governor? Republicans don’t have a real candidate for governor in 2018. The two best possibilities – former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and current San Diego Alcalde Kevin Faulconer – don’t seem too interested. And who can blame them? The party brand is tarnished, and […]
Effects of the CA-DC Stare-down: Brown Walks a Tightrope. Feinstein Re-election Opponent?
Reporting on California policy and politics nowadays seems to be rooted in what happens in Washington, D.C. California, which sets itself up as the exception and trendsetter is spending much time reacting to what is coming out of the theater playing out in Washington. CALmatters, the non-profit journalistic site, has gone as far as creating […]
Assembly Hearings Focused on Raising More Californians into Middle Class
What can we do to lift people out of poverty or near poverty and into California’s middle class? The California Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy (JEDE) held its second informational hearing this week in Sacramento to address this important issue. “While many areas of California have recovered and are thriving since […]