Familiarity, Not Policy, Drives Voter Support
In reading the latest PPIC poll, policy does not seem to be behind selection of candidates in the coming election’s high-profile races. If policy and positioning were paramount, you would think that gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom and U.S. Senate candidate Kevin de León, who share similar positions on the left of the policy scale, would […]
Running Against California in Nevada
Is Nevada joining California as a reliably blue state? Could be. I’ve written previously that California and Nevada belong together. The Nevada governor’s race is a test of that premise. And the Republican nominee Adam Laxalt—a son of one of his state’s most important political families – is explicitly running against California.
State Needs to Step Up for Higher Education
The polls are in and University of California campuses are slipping. We are not talking about football or basketball, but about academics. In the most recent international survey of higher education, UC campuses dropped in 80 categories. Clearly, the severe fiscal diets imposed on UC and the California State University systems by Sacramento lawmakers have begun to take their toll. Make […]
The Little Berry that Could: How Strawberries Contribute to the Vitality of Southern California’s Urban Economy
While urban and rural California may be miles apart geographically and politically, they could not be more interdependent economically. That’s what we found with a recent research project that determined nearly $3-billion of Southern California’s urban economy is directly linked to the state’s strawberry farming operations. Southern California plays a major role in contributing to […]
What to Know About the Housing Bill That Has People Freaking Out From Marin to Compton
Memes of a mild-mannered California legislator photoshopped as a Star Trek villain. A San Francisco supervisor suggesting the city should sue the state, to “thunderous applause.” Wealthy Marin County homeowners and South Los Angeles tenants’ rights groups working as political bedfellows. All inspired by a wonky state housing bill yet to receive a single vote—and faces […]