Adjusting to a New Way of Life
A new way of life has come to America and Los Angeles. It is caused by the Coronavirus. It has devastated countless lives and restricted our Freedoms and Liberties and our Pursuit of Happiness. All of our lives have drastically changed in the past month. It does not matter if you are young or old, […]
Density Debate is Shifting Ground Because of the Pandemic
Despite Sen. Scott Wiener’s failure to put across his plans for denser housing along transportation routes, the movement still was gathering steam and Wiener and his supporters continue to push ahead. However, the pandemic crisis throws up a formidable roadblock. Density is the opposite of distancing which health experts assert is the way to reduce […]
An Extended Lockdown May Devastate California Cities
The COVID-19 pandemic is placing severe fiscal pressure on California cities. Federal aid is unlikely to offset the large losses city managers are anticipating. Before cities enter a state of service insolvency, or even Chapter 9 bankruptcy, California’s state and local governments should reconsider their approach to the coronavirus. The League of California Cities recently […]
It’s Time for Home Repair
If you’re lucky enough in this pandemic to not have much to do—no job to work remotely, no children to help with distance learning, no volunteering to do because you’re old or have a health condition that makes you at risk—then take a look around the house One unexplored piece of California’s housing crisis is […]
AB 828 is an Attack on Property Rights
California’s legislature is controlled by Democratic super-majorities in both houses. These Democrat politicians, in turn, are controlled by public sector unions. They are now considering Assembly Bill 828, which will empower courts to summarily reduce rents by up to 25 percent and create additional barriers to the eviction process. Passage of this law would be a disaster. It’s […]
Will the Pandemic Mean Fewer Bills and/or Fewer Laws?
In the post-coronavirus world, we are told things will change as people alter the way they do business taking lessons they learned during the lockdown. Does that apply to governing as well? The legislative process will change in the short term. Committee meetings may be limited or go to video, person-to-person lobbying, if it continues […]
Cut the Red Tape. Let’s Build Now
To say we are living in unprecedented times would be an understatement. I can’t tell you how many Zoom calls I’ve been on in the last month. I’m sure many of you can relate. This new normal has required us to adapt in order to continue taking care of business. Being ordered to stay at […]
California Avoids Addressing Causes of its High Energy Costs
Californians will continue to pay some of the highest costs for electricity and fuel use as the State unexpectedly collides catastrophically with the global pandemic that will impact businesses and employment for an unpredictable economic future. The State’s much-touted $21 billion operating-budget surplus is likely to disappear entirely due to declining tax revenues and rising […]
California’s Restaurant Industry Slowly Being Suffocated by Overregulation
It was the fourth week of the shelter-in-place order that finished off a Sonoma County restaurant called Bistro 29. “I’m just officially done,” said owner Brian Anderson, who along with his wife had spent years building the business. Anderson had battled the local government’s parking policies and problems caused by the city’s homeless population. More […]