The Attorney General’s Uneven View on What’s Right
Two events yesterday showed an unequal outlook on fairness by California’s Attorney General. In one instance, AG Xavier Becerra rightly objected to President Trump’s order attempting to limit the people counted in the census as ignoring the plain language of the United States Constitution. On the other hand, he issued titles and summaries for California […]
An Action Plan for Equitable Economic Revitalization
As the state continues to navigate a reopening in the midst of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the grim economic implications of the pandemic are expected to have lasting effects. To aid an equitable recovery, there must be a focus on how the state can institute a decision-making process to rapidly deploy resources and investments […]
When it Comes to the Justice System, It is Time for Sobering Reality
It really does not matter if you like or dislike President Trump or Former Vice – President Joe Biden. What really matters is what is happening across America and in particular California and the City of Los Angeles. Let me begin with the Judicial Branch of Government as it impacts all people of the Golden […]
From internet rights to streeteries, how the pandemic is changing working from home
Coronavirus has reshaped how Californians live, learn and work in uneven ways. The pandemic has exposed the state’s long-standing digital divide with a significant share of low-income and rural households lacking reliable internet access. And even though employers have quickly adapted to remote work, the opportunity to work from home has not spread evenly across […]
Because of COVID-19, Fewer Laws
Back in April, I wondered on this page if the pandemic’s effect on the legislature shutting down the capitol during an extended break would result in fewer bills passed and signed into law. Apparently, that will be the case. On top of the extraordinary month-long lockdown in March, the legislature was forced to extend its […]
How California helped inspire “Union”
Before we left on the cross-country drives that led to our new book, Union: A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search for Common Ground, the two of us knew little about one another. On first meeting, we learned that each of us stood on opposite ends of the political spectrum — Jordan is a Republican, […]
The hubris of the teachers’ unions could backfire
The definition of “hubris” is foolish excessive pride, arrogant overconfidence. In a related story, California teachers’ unions won a victory when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget trailer bill that bases school funding levels for the new school year on the attendance in the previous school year. This cheats growing charter schools, often non-union, of […]
Is the California Dream Finished?
For all the persistent rhetoric from California’s leaders about this state being on the cutting edge of social and racial justice, the reality on the ground is far grimmer. Our new report on the state of California’s middle class shows a lurch toward a society in which power and money are increasingly concentrated and where upward mobility is constrained, amid shocking levels […]
Help small businesses recover by pausing the annual minimum wage hike
Small businesses have suffered a severe setback from the recent, understandable public health actions by state and local leaders to reimpose restrictions on commerce involving public gathering. These small businesses, especially restaurants, hospitality, tourism, entertainment and personal services, also employ many low-skilled, low-wage workers, often in entry-level jobs on the lower rungs of the economic […]
Cut Newsom from “Newsom at Noon”
Dear Governor, Your lunchtime COVID-19 briefings—“Newsom at Noon”—are must-see TV. No California governor has ever had such a regular platform, and you’ve demonstrated a memory, policy knowledge, and verbal facility (especially with long words) that are almost superhuman. You might be California’s greatest polysyllabic performance since Julie Andrews recorded “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” for Disney’s Mary Poppins. Your […]