The “Gathering Storm” of a Big Ballot Battle
If you don’t think the coming split roll measure on the November 2020 ballot intended to raise business property taxes is going to be a lollapalooza of a battle, you have not picked up the signs. To use a Churchill-like title the British Prime Minister put on the first volume of his World War II […]
Wrong-headed Re-make of Redevelopment Law
For years, housing advocates have been lamenting the demise of redevelopment authority that occurred earlier this decade. To be sure, redevelopment was a lot of things to a lot of people. To local governments, it was the freedom to independently finance a host of community improvements and spur economic development. To housing advocates, it was […]
Climate Change and the Youth Vote
Not long ago, the terms “global warming” and “climate change” were not even part of our vernacular. Today few presidential candidates can get through a campaign speech without talking about them. They would be wise to do so. Most Millennials and their fast-rising “Gen Z” counterparts—roughly the age group 18-34—make it number one on their […]
Charter schools, unions call a truce in an epic battle as Newsom brokers a deal
Gov. Gavin Newsom brokered an agreement Wednesday on a high-profile charter-school regulation proposal at the center of this year’s contentious battle between teachers unions and charter advocates, removing a key hurdle for its passage this session. The compromise on Assembly Bill 1505 comes after months of lobbying by the state’s two most influential education interest […]