Big Tech Surveillance and Our Privacy
Everyone seems anxious to help out during the coronavirus pandemic. Google, for example, has created online reports in 131 countries to help governments find out where people have been. The company says the published information will not include any personally identifiable information, such as the location, contacts and movements of any single person. Google will […]
If CA Goes to All Mail-In Ballots, What Happens to Those High-Tech Voting Machines?
The debate over mail-in ballots heated up because of the spreading coronavirus that has postponed state primaries and intensified a partisan divide about the security of mail-in ballots. But as California officials attempt to move elections to all mail-in participation, that begs the question: what happens to those new, expensive high-tech voting machines developed by […]
The 21st Century California Plague That Jack London Saw Coming
Jack London saw this coming. Why didn’t we? In 1910 the California author, already famous for The Call of the Wild and White Fang, wrote a short post-apocalyptic novel about a 21st century pandemic in his home state. To revisit The Scarlet Plague during the COVID-19 crisis is to marvel at how much London understood—a […]
Best Reporters on Coronavirus? You May be Surprised
Inside Golden State Politics takes a close look at how journalism is covering the coronavirus epidemic. We find good work, some gaps and conclude surprisingly that among the best reporters on the beat are California Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who provide daily factual reports on television and online, keeping everyone informed. […]
A Letter From Sacramento, Where Fear Grows as Flowers Bloom
Our front garden hit peak bloom just as the COVID-19 death toll passed 200 in California. As usual, the California golden poppies seized control of the gravel borders along the driveway and, in a brazen move, advanced this spring into the chipped bark meant to provide walking space around the raised planter boxes. Now the […]
The Legislature Makes Itself Non-Essential
As I’ve written here before, California governors keep getting more and more powerful. But that shouldn’t mean the legislature is non-essential. Unbelievably, that’s exactly what the legislature is doing, by going dark in the middle of a historic crisis. It’s been stunning to watch the California legislature put itself on the sidelines since COVID-19 hit. […]
The Real Story Behind Homelessness
The following story is comes from Christopher F. Rufo, of the Discovery Institute Center on Wealth, Poverty, and Morality. Chris has been and continues to be a valuable resource on my commentaries about homelessness in America. The homelessness crisis in America’s West Coast cities is beginning to draw national attention. There are now an estimated […]
Suggested Executive Orders for Gavin Newsom
Without criticizing the tremendous efforts that are already being made, here are some additional steps that California Governor Gavin Newsom could take to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Some of these recommendations may run counter to the political momentum of California’s one-party state, but perhaps in these extraordinary times, they should be considered […]
After Coronavirus We Need to Rethink Densely Populated Cities
For the better part of this millennium, the nation’s urban planning punditry has predicted that the future lay with its densest, largest, and most cosmopolitan cities. Yet even before the onslaught of COVID-19, demographic and economic forces were pointing in the exact opposite direction, as our biggest cities—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—all lost population […]