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
Joe Mathews
September 9, 2013
Author: Joe Mathews
Connecting California Columnist and Editor, Zócalo Public Square, Fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (UC Press, 2010)
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
Joe Mathews
August 29, 2013
Should It Really Be Easier to Remove Local Officials?
The LA Times’ George Skelton argues in a recent column that the case of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is evidence that California local governments
Joe Mathews
August 23, 2013
Unions and Howard Jarvis Join Forces to Keep Democracy Private
(Editor’s Note: UPDATE. The original article reported that Common Cause was part of the pro-SB 594 effort but moved to neutrality. At the request of
Joe Mathews
August 22, 2013
Yellen or Secession?
What does a Californian have to do to get the most important job in the world? It’s a relevant question since Janet Yellen, a longtime
Joe Mathews
August 21, 2013
An Illogical Hunger Strike
Let me see if I understand your logic correctly, striking inmates of the California state prison system. You are refusing to eat – and thus
Joe Mathews
August 20, 2013
Wake Me When Session Is Over
Both houses of the legislature are finally back! Big stuff is about to happen! The end of the session is nigh! Wake me when it’s
Joe Mathews
August 16, 2013
All Aboard the Hyperloop!
There are now two high-profile major transportation projects promising fast trips between Los Angeles and San Francisco. One of them has a big unknown price
Joe Mathews
August 13, 2013
Does L.A. History Include Humans?
We Angelenos were never supposed to be here. In an 1868 essay considered so powerful it was taught to schoolchildren for a century, writer and
Joe Mathews
August 7, 2013