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 […]
A Tale of Two Fires
“Greatest Fire in History Ravages Napa County” read the headline in the St. Helena Star. Only this was not the terrible 2017 fires, nor the August 2020 fire, nor the devastating Glass Fire just controlled. It was the Hanley Fire, and headline is from the Star for September 16, 1964. It is a lesson, Napa […]
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 […]
Election Security
As time ticks toward Election Day, there is much anticipation throughout America. From coast to coast Americans of all political parties have been voting for the next President of the United States and other candidates and measurers the past few days. Republicans and Democrats and all the other political parties listed in your ballot. Political […]
DiFi and the Test of Time
Perhaps nothing in the California political scene is more telling about the change state politics has seen over the last couple of decades than the attitude toward United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. She has gone from a position as the most respected California politician to one who is polarizing within her own majority party. Will […]
Reading the Props: 25 Is a Glorious Referendum
Every two years, I read the full text of all statewide ballot propositions—because at least one Californian should. Next is Prop 25 My kingdom for a referendum. In most of the world, a referendum, like Prop 25, is the most common type of ballot measure. A legislature does something, and the people are asked whether […]
Are Republicans Losing their Voice?
One-party government is generally associated with right wing dictatorships. California is in no danger of succumbing to authoritarian rule, but the trend toward single-party dominance is unmistakable. Some numbers recently compiled by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California are revealing. The registration numbers for the Golden State remain among the highest showing eight in […]
LA Can Save $398 Million Right Now
Friday, LA’s City Administrative Officer announced the city’s budget deficit could reach $400 million to $600 million by the end of the current fiscal year. According to page 201 of LA’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, LA spends $398 million per year supplying health insurance subsidies to retirees under the city’s other post-employment benefits (OPEB) program. […]
A Gentler–Not Kinder–Presidential Debate
In the final presidential debate, a gentler–not kinder–President Donald Trump pretty much left California, a favorite target, out of his sights. Instead Trump spent more time blasting his opponent, Joe Biden, than outlining his vision for a second term. We also discuss the media’s over reliance on public opinion polls. Inside Golden States Politics is […]