Not Another Water Bond?
It feels every election Californians are voting on another water bond—and passing them. This November Proposition 3 is on the ballot, placed there through the initiative process. The state has plenty of unspent water related bonds. Shouldn’t we use the billions authorized for past water bonds yet expended before adding more billions to the state […]
The USC/Dornsife Polls Are a Mess. Here’s Why.
Media credibility is more important than ever. While the vast majority continue to do a terrific job, people trust reporting less and less because of disingenuous attacks on so-called “fake news.” Similarly, the polling industry is facing a crisis of consumer skepticism. It’s more difficult than ever to separate quality pollsters from the glut of […]
Smart Initiative Reform Took Place in Sacramento. So Where Was the Media?
Where was the media? The Citizens Initiative Review – the best proven way we have to evaluate ballot initiatives around the world – held a California pilot in Sacramento at the end of last month. And the state political media wasn’t there. What gives? Media folks like to point out the flaws in the initiative […]
Can Dianne Feinstein Win an Historic 6th Term?
I was among the 500 people crammed into a hall in San Francisco to hear what two candidates had to say who are hoping to be sworn in as California’s U.S. Senator in January. The incumbent, Dianne Feinstein faced off against Kevin de Leon, her challenger. The current title holder, hoping for a 6th historic term, […]
134 Cases, $36 Million: Inside Sexual Misconduct At America’s Biggest County Government
The grim, graphic details are public, but sit silently in case files across Los Angeles County. Some lay out heartbreaking accounts of sexual misconduct by county employees, from verbal abuse to physical assault, including rape. Few of the allegations have been written about before in news stories. In response to a KPCC/LAist records request, county […]