CalChamber poll (Part 2): Voters crave sensible policies, no new taxes

Yesterday  we reported that Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same.  But the pandemic isn’t the only issue troubling Californians. The cost of living remains a profound concern. When asked if their family would have a better future if they left California, a stunning 54 percent […]

Talking Turkey about So-called Lawsuit Abuse

Around the Capitol and throughout California, people always ask us, “Exactly what is Thanksgiving dinner like for the Kabateck family?”  The answer to that question may lie in a closer look of the article published in this publication on Nov. 11 by my brother, John, entitled “In 2020, California lawmakers failed to protect Californians against […]

CalChamber poll (Part 1): Voters serious about addressing pandemic consequences

Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same. The sixth annual CalChamber poll, The People’s Voice, 2020, found that voters are keenly aware of the widespread effects of the pandemic. Nearly half of all voters have suffered an economic impact: reduced work hours, lost job, pay cut, […]

Enough Dead to Fill Forest Lawn

If you’re having a hard time processing the scale of death produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s a California alternative for wrapping your mind around the carnage:  Visit the largest, prettiest cemetery you can find. I recommend the original Forest Lawn, in Glendale, the most Californian of cemeteries. I recently walked the 290  acres of […]

Revenue windfall creates political dilemma

As Gov. Gavin Newsom makes the final decisions on writing a 2021-22 budget, he’s receiving some good revenue news from his beancounters. During the first four months of the 2020-21 budget cycle, which began on July 1, state general fund revenues were more than $11 billion higher than the apocalyptic estimates on which the budget […]

Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature

California is poised to send more women representatives to the highest levels of federal government, with vice-president-elect Kamala Harris and the re-election to the House of speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Women have represented California in the US Senate since 1993 through Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Harris. And women hold leadership positions across state chambers—Toni Atkins […]

Newsom issues evening curfew ahead of Thanksgiving week

Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced a month-long curfew covering nearly all Californians to start Saturday, the latest in a series of tough new restrictions aimed at stopping the state’s alarming spike in COVID-19 cases.  The curfew starting right before Thanksgiving week will shut down non-essential work and gatherings from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and […]

American Diversity–Impacting Elections from Georgia to Orange County

We look at Korean American congressional victories in Orange County and at the Georgia Senate election where the Democrats are represented  by a prominent African American minister and a Jewish documentarian. Produced and directed by Nancy Boyarsky   Inside Golden State Politics podcast.