Brown Curses Those Who Curse the High Speed Rail
Gov. Jerry Brown ripped critics of the high-speed rail offering profanity and calling critics small-minded. Yet, it is an American tradition that goes back to the beginning of the Republic to point out when government goes off the rails, a turn of phrase that is certainly apropos in this instance. In his second incarnation as […]
Why Do They Keep Failing at the Initiative Finish Line?
What do Travis Allen and John Cox have in common, besides the fact they are Republicans who have no chance of getting elected governor? Both tripped and fell in the initiative game. Allen had a partial excuse—his initiative to repeal the gas tax had legal problems, and he has joined up with another, similar effort. […]
California’s Got a New Plan to Hit its 2030 Emissions Target – But are we Aiming at the Right Target?
The Air Resources Board adopted its 2030 Scoping Plan late last year. The 2030 goal – a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 1990 levels – is mandated by state law. This is the state’s contribution to what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the planet must achieve to avoid catastrophic […]
Leadership and Autocratic Rule
California has had its share of towering leaders—-Governors Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, (who also became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Ronald Reagan, and Governor Edmund G. Brown. Senators William Knowland and Dianne Feinstein along with the first woman House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (both still serving) and the current head of state, Jerry Brown, could […]