Reading the Props: Does 17 Go Far Enough?
Every two years, I read the full text of all statewide ballot propositions—because at least one Californian should. Next is Prop 17. If California is a leader in democracy, does Prop 17 go far enough? Prop 17 is a proposed constitutional amendment from the legislature, and it is simple in its text. It makes two […]
California Initiative Editorial Scorecard #2
California Strategies and Forward Observer are pleased to present the California Initiative Editorial Scorecard. For this 2020 edition of the scorecard, we track editorials on the 12 ballot measures that California voters will decide on Tuesday, November 3. This year’s editorial scorecard is based on circulation data from the Alliance for Audited Media for 22 […]
California Finally Makes an Appearance at the Presidential Debate
California should have had a more prominent role in the presidential debate. President Donald Trump has been using California as an example of all the things that would go work for the country if Joe Biden is elected. Biden’s argument is that following California policies is the way to improve what is wrong under Trump. […]
Banning gas cars won’t fuel a cleaner and cooler future
It’s not the end of the world, but from some of the photographs you’d be forgiven for thinking it might be. Across the West Coast, raging wildfires have led to mass evacuations, caused multiple deaths and billions of dollars in property damage, and even gave the sky an eerie, dystopian look as dangerously polluted air settled in […]
Reading the Props. 16: This Is Simple Repeal. Really!
Every two years, I read the full text of all statewide ballot propositions—because at least one Californian should. Next is Prop 16. Whatever you think of affirmative action and Prop 16, give the proposition this. There aren’t many ballot measures that actually make the California State Constitution shorter. Prop 16, a constitutional amendment, is the […]
CABIA Speaks Up for AB 5’s Victims
If you watched last night’s Presidential Debate in the Bay Area, you might have seen a television ad from the California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA) criticizing the state’s AB 5 law. The same ad aired on national television earlier in the day. The ad features stories from real freelancers, told in their own voices, […]
Climate Change, Forest Management and Wildfires
Gov. Gavin Newsom likes to beat Californians over the head that every ill under his administration is due to climate change, including wildfires. But what you will not find him saying is that, while he is spending billions of dollars to have California singlehandedly eliminate global greenhouse gases, he and fellow Democrats have spent relative […]
When It Comes to Housing, Jack Kemp had Good Ideas
Roughly thirty-five years ago, Yelena Bonner was not well known in America. But, by the time she was allowed by mother Russia (then the Soviet Union) to travel to this country hers was nearly a household name. When the sixty year-old human rights activist – wife of exiled Soviet peacenik Andrei D. Sakharov – arrived […]
Californians and the Presidential Debate
Californians are highly inclined to tune in to tonight’s presidential debate, even though most have made up their minds about the two major party candidates. What does this tell us about California’s political landscape during this highly consequential—and divisive—election? At this point in the process, Californians are engaged. The latest PPIC Statewide Survey finds that […]
From California’s Miracle Country, Post-Apocalyptic Life Lessons
Recovery from recession, fire, pandemic and political conflict might require a miracle. Where can Californians find one? In Miracle Country. Miracle Country is the title of Kendra Atleework’s magical memoir about her life in the Eastern Sierra. The book begins with the 2015 fire that decimated her 200-person hometown, Swall Meadows, north of Bishop and […]