Yeah for Yee
It’s tough during times of the typical contentious political give and take for a recognizable member of a political party to make a stand that faithful party members think adverse to the party’s interest. It’s even more difficult in these polarizing times. Yet, State Controller Betty Yee, a Democrat, told fellow Democrat Secretary of State […]
Reading the Props: 20’s New Supermajority
Every two years, I read the full text of all statewide ballot propositions—because at least one Californian should. Next is Prop 20. Prop 20 offers voters a chance to revisit reforms of sentencing and criminal supervision laws passed in the first half of the 2010s decade. Usually, going back and reconsidering previous laws is […]
The United Chambers of Commerce Says No on Proposition 15
The United Chambers of Commerce opposed the Split-Roll initiative when it was presented at the Government Affairs meeting last spring. Now that it is a formal ballot issue as Proposition 15, our opposition is still intact. Why? Proponents of Proposition 15, the property tax increase on businesses, say this new tax money could be used […]
An “ecotopian” Future: Can California’s Green Extremism Go National?
They paved paradise…And put up a parking lot…With a pink hotel, a boutique…And a swinging hot spot…Don’t it always seem to go…That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone — Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi,” 1970 One is often at a loss to explain California to people from other planets—like, say, earth. This […]
Will Voters Jump on the Politicians’ Diversity Bandwagon?
This coming election will indicate whether the governor and California legislature are way out in front of the electorate on a high-profile issue of the moment—diversity in the form of affirmative action. Recently, Governor Newsom signed AB 979 that requires businesses with corporate headquarters in the state to have board members of underrepresented communities defined […]
Reading the Props: 19’s Glorious West Coast Bias
Every two years, I read the full text of all statewide ballot propositions—because at least one Californian should. Next is Prop 19. The best bit of populist language on California’s November ballot doesn’t come in an initiative qualified with the signatures of the people. It comes courtesy of the establishment—the members of the California […]
Californians and the November 2020 Election
This post is based on Mark Baldassare’s introductory remarks for the PPIC Speaker Series event on October 6, 2020. We would like to offer context from some key findings in the latest PPIC Statewide Survey as we reflect on the state and national election landscape. California’s likely voters are anxious about the troubling state of […]
Saving California Will Save America
As proven by the torrent of executive orders issued by King Newsom during this COVID-19 pandemic, during a public emergency, constitutional rights and due process go out the window. In the coming years, with California’s one-party state leading the way, expect climate emergencies, systemic racism emergencies, and new health related emergencies to shred what is […]
AB 5, Proposition 22 and the Future of Employment
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi conducted by editorial board member Allysia Finley centering on California’s AB 5 and Uber’s response, Proposition 22. Toward the end of the interview Khosrowshahi talked about self-driving cars role in the debate and this look into the future raised additional […]