One “Dastardly Deed” Cements Gavin Newsom as my Black Bart Nominee

I thought I might nominate Donald J. Trump for this year’s Black Bart Award. But it’s time to retire our lame-duck President’s number. Instead, I nominate California’s Governor Gavin Newsom–for his often good, sometimes bad and, once-in-a-while really stupid impact on the Golden State. On the plus side, or the negative–depending on where you stand […]

Who Wins the Races in CA Depends on the “Turnout Game”

THIS JUST IN! The 2020 Presidential election will come down to turnout—how large it is and who shows up. And, even in the deep blue Golden State, voter turnout in both the primary and the general elections will impact not only the Presidential race, but contests from ballot propositions down to local offices. In California, […]

Black Bart Nominee: The Donald—Who Else?

“Don’t get mad, get even,” was the political mantra of legendary California Democrat, Carmen Warschaw, Donald Trump has tweaked it a bit, when it comes to his dealings with the Golden State: “Do get mad and get even.” That modus operandi has earned Trump a nomination for this year’s  Black Bart Award. He’s certainly not a Californian—he’s practically allergic […]

The Kamala Dilemma—California Style

It was 2:30 pm on a busy Saturday afternoon at the California Democratic Party Endorsing Convention—just a couple of hours away from a roll-out of myriad candidates for the party’s Presidential nomination. Some were taking a brief detour from the Golden State money trail; all were seeking to claim a California primary victory. In the […]

Letter from London: Mirroring US Politics and a Plug for the Golden State

We came to London for a respite from the lunacy of American politics, only to have underscored how like the U.S. model British politics have become. And I’m not talking parliamentary sex scandals here! Observing media coverage of the annual Labour Party Conference revealed a party torn by ideology and a campaign process that relies […]

Carmen Warschaw Remembered as California Political “Powerhouse”

Crossposted on Prop Zero Editor’s Note: In the 1990s, I served with Carmen Warschaw on the Los Angeles County Blue Ribbon Budget Task Force working to improve the County’s financial condition. Despite political differences, we worked well together toward that goal. Long before “feminism” became a potent political movement in the U.S., Carmen Warschaw cracked […]

Villaraigosa’s Ready for His Close Up

Crossposted on Prop Zero During the GOP national convention, actor Jon Voight was spotted meandering, virtually undisturbed, through the Media Center. Then L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, soon to preside over the Democratic National Convention, sidled in and was instantly surrounded by a swarm of reporters. In his role as a major Obama campaign surrogate and […]

Luck, Timing and Prop. 13

Crossposted on Prop Zero If politics is a matter of luck and timing, a look back at Proposition 13 (also on his watch) might be instructive as Gov. Jerry Brown tries to save his proposed tax initiative. In terms of luck, Brown appears to have had a run of the bad kind lately, just as […]

Gov. Brown’s Taxing Problem

Cross-posted at Prop Zero Prospects for resolving California’s budget mess rest squarely on Governor Jerry Brown’s relationship with the state’s voters. He’s got to personally convince a public skeptical of government and loath to trust politicians to approve new taxes to help fill a cavernous budget hole. Californians have got to feel comfortable with his […]

From Master Plan to No Plan: California’s Education Failure

Crossposted at Prop Zero California has gone from having a Master Plan for Higher Education to having no plan for higher education. In 1959, the Legislature mandated the preparation of “a Master Plan for the development, expansion, and integration of the facilities, curriculum, and standards of higher education, in junior colleges [now Community Colleges], state […]