Has the “New Normal” Already Arrived?
“I see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel….and the light is getting brighter and brighter every day. People want to get back to their jobs.” Thus spake the president at a recent Task Force briefing. California and the majority of other states are apparently shining a different flashlight with a higher […]
How does Newsom Reopen California?
Restless Californians are letting Gov. Gavin Newsom know they’re over his statewide order to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At noisy street demonstrations and in polite letters from government officials, they’re saying: Let us start getting back to normal. Other local leaders — still concerned about the potential for the virus […]
Reopening The Economy, Moving Forward This Week: The Coronavirus Workplace Series
Part of a series on the impacts on the coronavirus on employment and the workplace. The previous ones are here). Over the past week, plans for a phased reopening of the economy moved quickly forward. The White House issued reopening ideas and potential structures for the states. State Governors began appointing task forces on timing, […]
Vote by Mail?
Bill and Sherry examine voting by mail in the midst of a pandemic. They agree on the need but disagree over whether it can be implemented by the November election. They also search for an answer to a big question: Where’s Joe Biden? Listen to the latest Inside Golden State Politics.
How does 31% Unemployment Sound? Scary!
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation has taken a preliminary glimpse at what the employment situation would look like in May if the current pandemic lockdown is continued in the 10-county Southern California region. It isn’t pretty. Slicing and dicing through the numbers at hand, LAEDC researchers estimate that the Southern California region will […]
Observations of a New World
Over two million people in the world have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus and tens of thousands have died from the disease. These numbers are undoubtedly low given the current lack of testing capability. Although we do not know the extent of the problem, we do know that our world has changed dramatically. Until […]
Price Controls Are Not the Answer to Surprise Billing
Now more than ever, the COVID-19 epidemic and resulting “shelter in place” policy have called our attention to health and economic concerns. Lawmakers in Congress have rushed to act, but taxpayers must examine their proposals carefully or we could find ourselves stuck with counterproductive “solutions.” One issue that has come to the forefront is surprise […]
Viral Politics
Long after the pandemic has receded, its long-term impact on our society and political life will continue. Just as plagues past have reshaped the trajectory of cities and civilizations, sometimes with fearsome morbidity, COVID-19 is already having a profoundly disruptive impact on our political future. Rather than uniting humanity against a common foe, the pandemic […]
San Francisco’s Emergency Rules Threaten Food Deliveries
San Francisco officials have imposed one of the tightest lockdowns in the country, which has made residents of the nation’s second-highest density city increasingly dependent on deliveries from grocery stores and restaurants. If officials there want people to stay home and avoid interacting with others at the checkout lines, they should do everything they can […]