Black Bart for the Black Panther
2018 was an awfully rough year for many Californians. But that means it offers no shortage of candidates for Black Bart. Victims of our massive
Joe Mathews
December 13, 2018
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)
Grading the Brown Record: the Public Narrative
As Gov. Jerry Brown closes his fourth term, he is being widely celebrated as a success. But his record and the state of the state,
Joe Mathews
December 12, 2018
Capra the Californian
The California story needs a remake. Get me Capra! Frank—legendary director of films from It Happened One Night to It’s a Wonderful Life—has been dead
Joe Mathews
December 10, 2018
Higher Turnout Shouldn’t Discourage Direct Democracy
The high turnout in this November’s elections in California is good news – mostly. More people were engaged, and new laws to encourage voting did
Joe Mathews
December 7, 2018
Does Top Two Mean Democrats Rule Forever?
Republicans face all kinds of obstacles of their own making if they are ever to return to power in California. They also face a potent
Joe Mathews
December 5, 2018
The Bay Bridge and Other Big Mistakes
How do you learn from a really big mistake? Walk across it. Which is why I recently found myself putting on a windbreaker and beginning
Joe Mathews
December 3, 2018
Never Mind Pelosi. Why Does McCarthy Hold Onto His Leadership Post?
I’m among those poor unfortunate souls who does not understand the historic greatness of Nancy Pelosi, and thinks the Democrats need new leadership if they’re
Joe Mathews
November 30, 2018
A Love Story About California Housing–Part 1
No house on earth means more to me than my paternal grandparents’ small blue home near the bottom of a windswept hill in the Bay
Joe Mathews
November 28, 2018
Those Switching Orange County Maps Aren’t a Triumph. They Are a Tragedy
On Twitter and Facebook, I see people celebrating that screen shot of two maps of Orange County. The maps divide the county into Congressional districts.
Joe Mathews
November 20, 2018