Devastating Fires Could Boost Proposition 19
Californians across the state are living through, watching and reading about the devastation caused by the fires roaring throughout the state, already consuming about 1.5 million acres with still months to go before the usual fire season is over. Typically, major disasters trigger political responses in one form or another and the fires in the […]
Hollywood Shakes
To learn about an earthquake fault underneath you in Hollywood, you can ask a land developer, a city planner or a state geologist who has spent a career studying the subject. You’ll get a somewhat different answer from each one, illustrating the confusion that has helped make regulating land development in Los Angeles such a […]
AB 323 as Amended Will Help Save Local Journalism
Assemblymember Blanca Rubio’s AB 323 to help local newspapers by favoring them with government advertising and delaying the AB 5 requirements of worker classification for newspaper delivery drivers seemed incomplete, that is until late amendments were made to the bill last week that joined it to AB 2257. The idea behind AB 323, pushed fervently by […]
Smart Growth isn’t so Smart Anymore
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to conclude that because of the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus or urban unrest dense housing would be less in vogue than it used to be. After all, wasn’t there a high rate of contamination of the virus in residentially compact New York City? And didn’t the city council there […]
Kevin McCarthy on California
Republican congressional leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield spent time with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall yesterday answering questions on national and international issues, but also touched directly on some California topics. McCarthy spoke about an all-mail ballot election in California, the state energy blackouts, and even commented on whether California colleges […]
A View from an LAPD Officer
We can’t know what all the police officers in California are thinking about current focus on their profession and service. But by listening to one Los Angeles Police Department officer answering questions about what he sees and feels, I got a sense of what I suspect are attitudes representative of many cops. The officer, who […]
The Phony Arguments Against Mail Voting
“Take some deep breaths and prepare to wait for election results,” advises Ellen Weintraub, former chair of the Federal Election Commission. Given the enormous volume of mail in ballots expected this November, it is quite possible the winners will not be known on Election Night. But there will be no problem determining the President in […]
And Now a Wealth Tax To Chase Taxpayers Away
If anyone raises the argument that rich taxpayers would escape California if taxes on them get higher and higher, the response is usually that there is no evidence that that would happen. Yet in the last week, there are clear indications from Democratic elected officials fearing that could happen. In California, the concern is expressed […]
Open Letter to Gov. Newsom: We answered your call to shut down. Now it’s your turn to Oppose Prop 15
Dear Governor Newsom, Small businesses across California are hurting like never before. My family-owned small business, El Indio Mexican Restaurant and Catering, has never experienced a recession like this in our 80 years of serving the San Diego community. And there are millions of small businesses like nail salons, day care centers, dry cleaners, and […]