Do Californians Need a Passport to Democracy?
I recently found myself in front of the Rose Bowl, using my iPhone to take a selfie of me holding a Democracy Passport. The passport was in Swedish. It was produced in an advance of a Democracy Week declared by the city of Falun, Sweden at the end of this month. My friend and colleague […]
In a State as Diverse as California, Hating Sacramento is the Tie That Binds
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the California book of governance and public relations. You’re an important person in an out-of-the-way California place, you’re mad about something, and nobody’s paying attention. So you announce your city, or your county, or your region, or your half of the state is going to secede. Instantly, reporters […]
The Best College in California?
What’s the best university in the state? Stanford? UC Berkeley? By one measure – the earning potential of their alums – the top school in California – and indeed the nation – is Harvey Mudd College in Claremont. Payscale puts out rankings that evaluates colleges and universities on the financial return of attending the school […]
U.S. v. California
This past week was Admission Day, the holiday marking the date – Sept. 9, 1850 – that California was admitted into the Union. Maybe 163 years is too long for this marriage. Yes, Democrats hold the White House and the U.S. Senate in Washington DC, and they have the governorship and big legislative majorities in […]
Why California Keeps Repeating Junipero Serra’s Mistakes
If Californians ever figure out a way to bring Father Junipero Serra back from the dead, the first thing we should do is put him in charge of the state prison system. In the California mind, Serra is the state’s founder, a great builder of churches, and, in more recent histories, the man whose system […]
Shake, Abel, Shake
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Abel Maldonado has shaken up his campaign. There’s good and bad in this news. First, the good. Maldonado’s shake-up serves as a helpful reminder that there is an Abel Maldonado campaign for governor. I had a vague notion that there might be such a campaign going on, but this […]
What Should We Name That Bridge?
Controversy swirls about the possibility of naming the western span of the new Bay Bridge for former San Francisco Mayor and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. As an admirer of Brown and his political skills, I understand why his fans want it – but wonder if they shouldn’t be wary. Given all the cost overruns and […]
A Difficult 2016
2016 is shaping up to be an unpleasant year to be California’s governor. Or a legislator for that matter. Because the state might have to reckon with its bigger problems that year. The Democrats’ fondness for temporary policies is at the root of the issue. Prop 30, the tax hike ballot initiative that has saved […]
Labor Comes to LA, Discussing Change
The AFL-CIO convention began in Los Angeles this weekend. And it comes at a moment when the labor movement is considering significant changes. We talk so much at Fox & Hounds Daily at the power of labor, but that’s public employee labor. Unions in the private sector are weak and shrinking. For decades, the response […]
The Democrats’ Major Messaging Mistake
California Democratic leaders are upbeat, and talking about all they’ve accomplished. At a human level, and by conventional political standards, that’s totally understandable. After so many years of bad news and bad budgets in California, Gov. Brown and legislative leaders want to tout their progress – on the budget and in other areas. Brown’s progress […]