Think Big, California
In today’s California, we set big, ambitious goals for improving energy efficiency, fighting climate change, and, well, not much else. Gov. Jerry Brown’s inaugural address this month was a case in point. The governor again expressed his famous skepticism of big plans and big spending, then made an exception for energy and climate change, proposing […]
Will Top Two Ruin Our Senate Fun?
The retirement of a four-term Senator should open a breath of fresh air into California politics. But the stench of the top two system is fouling things up. It’s rare to have a moment full of possibility. So many qualified people could run. And the sheer numbers of possible candidates provide the opportunity for an […]
The University of California vs. Hollywood
We are at the point in the UC vs. Jerry Brown budget movie when both sides have drawn their arms and made their threats. But no one has fired. The UC has drawn on Brown, with the regents approving tuition hikes that go away only with more support from the legislature. Brown responded in kind […]
Pay for Retiree Health Care by Putting California Government Workers in Obamacare
As I’ve stated here before, there is no reason for California governments to continue retiree health care benefits for those who aren’t already retired or vested. It’s costly as heck (and getting costlier), and money hasn’t been set aside to pay for the benefits. And this country has Obamacare and Medicare to cover government retirees. […]
The New California Dream: To Stay Put
Today’s California dream is not your grandfather’s California dream. So why do we keep telling ourselves that we’re still seeking the same California dream? “California dream” has become a verbal tic in speeches, a graffiti we scrawl on signs and headlines, without thinking about its meaning. Democrats and Republicans alike, as they assumed new offices […]
What Should the Next Senator Be?
California’s political class, predictably, is having the wrong conversation again. We’re talking about who should replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate. Instead, we should be talking about what should replace Boxer. Boxer had strengths – as a strong, progressive voice that represented her state and as a better fighter for dollars than her reputation […]
Brown Will Be Governor Until 2030, Whether He Lives That Long Or Not
At Tuesday’s high-speed rail groundbreaking in Fresno, Gov. Jerry Brown talked about the year 2030, the target date for getting actual trains in service. “I’ll be 92 in 2030, so I’m working out, I’m pumping iron, I’m eating vegetables. I want to be around for the 50 percent reduction in petroleum [consumption], the six or […]
Why Not Let People Vote For Whomever They Want?
What would it take to reverse the trend of voter turnout? The real answers to that question – partisan local elections, a reversal of the top two disaster (and the resulting voter confusion, expensive campaign nastiness, and party weakness), elections on weekends, loosening all the constitutional rules that take issues off the table – are […]
California Office Pool 2015
This marks the sixth annual version of the California Office Pool. It was inspired by the late, great New York Times columnist William Safire, who made a habit of writing an annual column he called Office Pool. In it, Safire offered, multiple-choice style, a series of possible news events that could take place in the […]
Take the High Speed Rail to a New Disneyland
On Christmas Eve, it felt like the park was all ours. When I was growing up in the 1980s and early ’90s, Disneyland was so reliably empty on the day before Christmas that it became a family tradition to spend December 24 in the “Happiest Place on Earth,” often along with a visit to my […]