It Doesn’t Make Sense to Punish Elected Officials Who Live in One District and Represent Another
Admit it: You’re not exactly sure where you live, are you? Don’t be embarrassed to acknowledge that, beyond knowing your street address, you’re a little uncertain. California has so many thousands of overlapping local government jurisdictions, plus so many political district lines that divide communities, that understanding where you are at any given moment, even […]
The Age of Steinberg
Darrell Steinberg got good notices and buzz (California Supreme Court justice!?) as he headed out the legislative door, and rightfully so. Because Darrell Steinberg might well be the finest janitor in the history of California politics. That is an unabashed compliment, forehanded not backhanded, even if it doesn’t sound that way. In this era, with […]
If California Cows Could Talk
I am a California dairy cow. Mmmm—oo. Surprised to hear from me? In normal times, I wouldn’t be inclined to cooperate with the anthropomorphic scheme of a writer desperate for a mid-summer column. But today so much is being said about agriculture here in the Central Valley, and dairies in particular, that I felt the […]
Is It Time for A Quota on Turnout?
It’s been nearly two months since the June elections, and still people across the political spectrum are talking about the record low turnout, and offering all kinds of analysis of what happened and a variety of ideas about what should be done. But the most direct approach for guaranteeing higher turnout has yet to be […]
Don’t You Dare Ask the Voters for Their Opinions!
California faces a grave crisis that tears at the very fabric of our direct democracy: The state is about to ask California voters for their opinion. And you just can’t do that. It’s dangerous – as everyone from Gov. Brown to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has pointed out – to survey voters via a […]
What’s Good for Putin Is Good for California
Here are two words Californians should say to Vladimir Putin: Thank you. California, with its historic reliance on defense-related industries, never quite recovered from the end of the Cold War. Today, Los Angeles has fewer jobs than it did in 1990. Fortunately, Putin seems intent on giving us a new Cold War. Let’s stipulate that […]
Where Would the 6 Capitals Be?
Yes, yes, it won’t happen. But Six Californias is so much fun that it’s become the summer story of 2014. Proponent Tim Draper foolishly won’t let states name themselves but his initiative is silent on a crucial question: the location of capitals of the new state. The Internet abhors a vacuum, so let’s fill it […]
Be Nice, Murrieta, You Need Immigrants
To: The People of Murrieta, Calif. From: Joe Mathews Re: Recent Damage to Your Global Reputation You can still be “The Future of Southern California,” as your city’s motto promises, but it won’t be easy after these past few weeks. There’s no denying that Murrieta, incorporated in 1991, is one of the fastest-growing places in […]
Tim Draper vs. Southern California
To reiterate, I like the idea of the 6 Californias campaign because of the conversation it could spark about the state’s size, and our need to decentralize power from Sacramento. (I’m discounting the idea of California as six states because it won’t happen – voters are almost certain to turn it down and even if […]
Why Kashkari’s Failure to Understand Schwarzenegger Is a Problem
The problem wasn’t personality. But it’s not surprising that Neel Kashkari, pressed to explain why his plans to fix California would succeed after Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plans failed, would latch onto the ex-governor’s personality. That personally is an awfully big target, after all. Kashkari pinned Schwarzenegger’s problems on wanting too much to be loved. That’s diagnosis […]