Napolitano At the End
I liked the idea of Janet Napolitano as leader of the University of California system. The UC had become a convenient political punching bag for
Joe Mathews
December 14, 2017
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)
To Be Blunt, California’s Marijuana Industry Is Stoking High Anxiety
California’s 2018 transition to legal marijuana contains a mind-bending paradox: Ending prohibitions on marijuana is going to require an awful lot of aggressive law enforcement.
Joe Mathews
December 12, 2017
Republican Tax Bill Is an Attack on Local Democracy
The real problem with the Republican tax bill, now being reconciled by the U.S. House and Senate, is not about taxes. It’s about democracy. The
Joe Mathews
December 11, 2017
The Gubernatorial Candidates Are Missing Three Big Agendas
What are you going to do if it all goes off the rails? Politicians are advised not to advise hypotheticals, but the candidates for governor
Joe Mathews
December 5, 2017
California needs a great villain
It’s hard to find a villain who can bring Californians together. That’s why Charlie Manson’s death produced so many media remembrances. Manson represented the time,
Joe Mathews
December 4, 2017
Gas Tax Boost Is Smaller Than the Backlash
The gas tax is a perfect distillation of what’s wrong with Gov. Brown’s small ball politics. He pursued a policy that’s too small, and too
Joe Mathews
December 1, 2017
Revisiting Feinstein and Formerly Anti-Immigrant Pols
I recently wrote in this space about Dianne Feinstein’s development – 25 years ago – of an approach to “illegal” immigration that became a template
Joe Mathews
November 30, 2017
A Cheech Thanksgiving
This week, California should give thanks for Cheech. Richard Anthony Marin deserves our gratitude not just because his new autobiography, Cheech Is Not My Real
Joe Mathews
November 27, 2017
When DiFi Was Anti-Immigrant
Elections are supposed to be about the future, not the past. But the U.S. Senate contest between Dianne Feinstein and Kevin de Leon may get
Joe Mathews
November 22, 2017