If CA Goes to All Mail-In Ballots, What Happens to Those High-Tech Voting Machines?
The debate over mail-in ballots heated up because of the spreading coronavirus that has postponed state primaries and intensified a partisan divide about the security of mail-in ballots. But as California officials attempt to move elections to all mail-in participation, that begs the question: what happens to those new, expensive high-tech voting machines developed by […]
The 21st Century California Plague That Jack London Saw Coming
Jack London saw this coming. Why didn’t we? In 1910 the California author, already famous for The Call of the Wild and White Fang, wrote a short post-apocalyptic novel about a 21st century pandemic in his home state. To revisit The Scarlet Plague during the COVID-19 crisis is to marvel at how much London understood—a […]
Best Reporters on Coronavirus? You May be Surprised
Inside Golden State Politics takes a close look at how journalism is covering the coronavirus epidemic. We find good work, some gaps and conclude surprisingly that among the best reporters on the beat are California Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who provide daily factual reports on television and online, keeping everyone informed. […]
A Letter From Sacramento, Where Fear Grows as Flowers Bloom
Our front garden hit peak bloom just as the COVID-19 death toll passed 200 in California. As usual, the California golden poppies seized control of the gravel borders along the driveway and, in a brazen move, advanced this spring into the chipped bark meant to provide walking space around the raised planter boxes. Now the […]