New Battles Over Redistricting

In 2008 California adopted a new redistricting system for state offices extended in 2010 to Congressional seats. It was accomplished through the arduous efforts of a 14-member non-partisan Citizens Redistricting Commission approved by the voters which took the powerful “gerrymandering” authority out of the hands of the state legislature. This hard fought revision of a […]

Secession Pushers Once Again Taking Center Stage

Secession is a word we do not bandy around lightly. The last meaningful attempt was in 1860, when within three months of President Abraham Lincoln’s election; seven states lead by South Carolina decided to leave the Union. Ultimately 11 states took that path thus helping to trigger the Civil War. Before the outbreak of the […]

Should We Have A Tax Convention?

Perhaps the moment has come to convene a Tax Convention in Sacramento to address the chronic dysfunction of a system in California which is largely attuned to the vagaries of ballot measure tax gimmicks and emergency responses as a basis for administering government. The one constant for running government at any level regardless of size, […]

The State Of The Presidency And Defining Victory

Vince Lombardi may have spoken the bald truth: “Winning is not everything it is the only thing.” But how do you define victory? Technically Barack Obama has won far less than what he sought at the onset of his presidency and the odds of bettering that record are growing longer each day. However, he has […]

Scoring the Race for the Boxer Senate Seat

The current revival of the “who-gets-to-run-for-what” show playing on TVs throughout the state and featuring Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, and Attorney General Kamala Harris, once again demonstrates that politics is strictly an insider’s game. The race to replace Senator Barbara Boxer is on and no casting interviews are required. The main protagonists have already been […]

Senator Boxer Calls It Quits

U.S. Senator, Barbara Boxer’s announcement that she will throw in the towel in 2016 rather than seek a 5th term comes as little surprise. Her failure to begin raising campaign funds was a sure sign that she had decided to call it quits. Although 74, she rules out age as a factor. The diminutive Boxer’s meteoric […]

Immigration Reform Deserves A Better Hearing And Californians Can Play A Major Role

The coming battle royal over immigration reform bears some of the same hallmarks as the high stakes slugfest over the passage of the Affordable Care Act—-much sound and fury but so far little substance on which to find common ground. As the nation’s most populous state, how these clashes play out in California will affect […]

The Election Aftermath and its Meaning for Californians

Although the California GOP lost one Congressional seat in the November election the party has much to celebrate elsewhere with a net gain of 12 new Members in the House to further pad its majority. As of now one race in Arizona and two in Louisiana remain undecided which could add to their majority. Democrats […]

Climate Change And Our Love Affair With The Automobile

The dirty little secret is out: We are degrading our planet at an accelerating pace and the reasons are not primarily celestial as a dwindling group of skeptics would have us believe. Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions go together, so says a mounting body of evidence coming from the vast majority of eminent scientists […]

Jerry Brown Poised For Victory After Ho-Hum Election Campaign

Here’s the big news on the run-up to the November election now only days away. There will be no big news! The marquee race—the one for governor — has been a one-person contest from start to finish and, barring unforeseen events the outcome is predictable. The GOP candidate, Neel Kashkari, has been so badly out-matched […]