Black Bart for the Black Panther
2018 was an awfully rough year for many Californians. But that means it offers no shortage of candidates for Black Bart. Victims of our massive fires—and the firefighters who worked almost constantly to protect people and communities—were first to come to mind when considering a year when the town of Paradise literally burned to the […]
Poll Results Give Conflicting Directions
One way to interpret findings in the new Public Policy Institute of California poll (PPIC) is to conclude that poll respondents want to spend more on on-going or new programs while concerned that the money won’t be there in the future for such spending. How can elected officials follow these directions? The poll results are […]
Voters Win with Top Two Primary
Joe Matthews argues that getting rid of top-two primaries is the best way to “reverse one-party rule in California.” It is this party-centric view of the world that, while accepted by the political class, is increasingly rejected by voters. In a traditional primary, parties elect nominees. Their candidates get special treatment. Their voters get more […]
The Potential Impact of Post-Janus Litigation
The landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court in the Janus vs AFSCME case has given government workers the right to not only refuse union membership, but to refuse to pay any dues or fees to that union. In the wake of this ruling, new lawsuits have been filed on behalf of plaintiffs who allege the unions […]
CARB Must Consider Those Living in Poverty
While California is experiencing tremendous growth and historically low unemployment rates, our state’s poverty rate is still the highest in the country. In fact, one of every five Californians today lives in poverty, including two million children. CARB has to take into consideration all the households that are at and below poverty that will be […]
Combatting California’s Tragic Drug Overdose Epidemic
Over the course of my career in clinical toxicology, I unfortunately have witnessed countless preventable drug overdose deaths. Nationally, the most recent data from the CDC reports 72,000 drug overdose deaths estimated in 2017. In California, public health officials estimated more than 5,000 residents died from fatal drug overdoses last year. We are losing people […]