The Roots of California’s Tattered Economy Were Planted Long Before the Coronavirus Arrived
California is in far worse shape economically than the great majority of other states also struggling through the pandemic. COVID-19 may be the primary cause of our current distress, but the evolving structure of our economy has exacerbated this calamity. The worst part is our state leaders should have known this all along. In September, […]
Break Up Prop 19!
Revisiting the various ballot measures, I find myself thinking about Prop 19, and wondering whether it should be on the ballot at all. The legislature put it there. But that’s not the problem with it, at least in my view (I’m perfectly happy to see Propositions 16, 17, and 18 on the ballot). The issue […]
“Why Can’t I Get My Darn Unemployment Check”
(Latest in a series since March on the pandemic’s employment impacts, and rebuilding America’s job base. The previous ones are here.) For the past two months the media in California have been running daily variations of the theme “Why Can’t I Get My Darn Unemployment Check”. Unemployed Californians tell reporters about waiting 10 weeks or […]
Disney Now Not the Happiest Place
As if we needed it, the rift between the Walt Disney Co. and the California state government widened last week, with one exasperated Disney executive blasting the state’s new restrictions that will prevent Disneyland from reopening probably until next summer – and then at 25 percent capacity. Disney has safely reopened its famous theme parks […]
California’s Political Poison Oozes East
Gavin Newsom says California is “America on fast forward.” Heaven help America. Newsom was referring to what he believes are the effects of man-made global warming while taking in the damage of the North Complex fire last month. But his comments are consistent with the long-accepted notion that the state is America’s lodestar. Its present […]
So far, no surprises with early voting in California
“Early voting” is this campaign cycle’s latest obsession, especially with the chattering pundits of the national media. With more than 60 million ballots already cast nationwide and growing, what impact will early voting have on the presidential race? Who does it help in the battleground states? Will it be the decisive factor? But in California, […]
Let’s Make California Politics More Danish
For years, I’ve been asked what my vision of California politics is, if we ever reach that moment of ditching our irredeemable state constitution and building a new system of governance for America’s largest state. I’ve usually punted, and said there are any number of governance models, from other states and from other countries, that […]
Don’t Let Your High School Buddies Grow Up to Be Supreme Court Contenders
The stakes of the presidential election are huge and global. The results may determine the future of public health, the republic, even the planet. The stakes of the presidential election are also peculiar and personal, especially for me. The results may determine which of two old friends—my fellow editors on our high school newspaper—ends up […]
Beacon of Hope: Non-Classroom Based, Independent Study Programs
When historians one day look back at 2020 they will detail the fear and the challenges. They will also explore how our normal moved to shelter in place, leading to the disruption of public education as well as the shift of the American workforce to stay at home. They will also detail the public education […]