Has the Legislature Reduced Its Bill Load?
Has the California Legislature reduced the number of bills it is considering and voting on this Session due to the pandemic and their two lengthy shutdowns? This is the first question being discussed in and out of the State Capitol the past few months. And, the answer is a resounding yes. The second question being […]
Another version of ‘ethnic studies’
A year ago, the California Department of Education released a draft of guidelines for implementing “ethnic studies” in public high schools. It unleashed a torrent of controversy — for good reason. The 303-page document was ersatz Marxist agitprop that, if adopted, would have drummed into young minds the notion that in America, anyone not a […]
California’s homelessness crisis is about to get real
The homelessness crisis is about to get real. Up until now, the crisis that has been termed “homelessness” has been made up of a significant, if disputed, percentage of problems that can’t be fixed with housing alone. Billions of dollars have been thrown at non-solutions such as “supportive housing” that costs up to $700,000 per […]
The AG Brought Charges, But Will the Public Empathize with David Lacey?
The California Attorney General charged the husband of Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey with a misdemeanor because he answered a 5 a.m. knock on the door of their home with a gun. News reports portray the incident as a political problem for incumbent Lacey in her hotly contested District Attorney race against progressive […]
Faced with dying Californians and withering businesses, Gov. Newsom steers a middle path. Can it last?
Californians could be forgiven for feeling like we’re running in place. Three months after Gov. Gavin Newsom began easing the stay-at-home order meant to curb the coronavirus pandemic, the virus is raging — and the vast majority of residents are back to living under major government restrictions. About 97% of Californians live in counties where […]
California’s Woke Hypocrisy
No state wears its multicultural veneer more ostentatiously than California. The Golden State’s leaders believe that they lead a progressive paradise, ushering in what theorists Laura Tyson and Lenny Mendonca call “a new progressive era.” Others see California as deserving of nationhood; it reflects, as a New York Times columnist put it, “the shared values […]
LA’s Most Corrupt City Council: No Reforms Despite Jose Huizar Indictment
On Thursday, a federal grand jury threw the book on Councilman Jose Huizar, returning a 34-count indictment on “charges that he lead a criminal enterprise where he used his powerful position at City Hall to enrich himself and his close associates, and unlawfully gave favorable treatment to developers who financed and facilitated bribes and other […]
Proposition 15 and the Tug-of-War over Gov. Newsom
You’d have to forgive Gov. Gavin Newsom if he’s feeling like the rope in a classic tug-of-war between those on the opposite sides of the Proposition 15 property tax increase measure, each grabbing an arm and pulling him in their direction for an endorsement. Yesterday, numerous small business owners and representatives of small business organizations […]
Fair Housing Door-to-Door Sweep Dead, for Now
The federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has withdrawn its controversial regulation subjecting landlords to invasive local reviews of their rental properties to see whether there are “any barriers to fair housing, housing patterns or practices that promote bias.” Suspension of the regulation, dubbed the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, will also […]
California loses thousands of jobs and crucial fuel as Marathon Martinez refinery goes idle
California just experienced a catastrophic loss from the COIVD-19 impact on the economy, as one of its major refineries, Marathon Martinez has just announced it will be idled indefinitely. With airlines and cruise ships virtually shut down, and vehicle transportation at an all-time low, the demand for fuels and petroleum derivative products manufactured from petroleum, […]