Stockton, Fresno and Bakersfield Lead San Francisco Metro in Growth
In a March 26 article, The New York Times headlined: “Even before coronavirus, America’s population was growing at slowest rate since 1919.” Experts suggested that, with the coronavirus and falling immigration rates, the country could see a population decline next year. Lurking behind this overall assessment was even bigger news for Californians. Improbably, the much […]
Crisis Reveals Big Financial Shortcomings
The rapidly expanding COVID-19 pandemic threatens the lives and livelihoods of Californians, but it also lays bare some multi-billion-dollar shortcomings in state government finances that have been ignored for decades, despite many warnings. The most obvious is the state budget’s unhealthy reliance on taxing the incomes of a relative handful of wealthy Californians. Income taxes […]
COVID-19 and the Coming Rent Control Initiative
A move to prevent evictions from rental apartment units during the coronavirus crisis could gather steam now that the governor has pledges from some of the biggest banks to give victims of the coronavirus a reprieve on mortgage payments. Landlords, with an eye on a coming rent control ballot measure, would find it in their […]
Governor Deems Construction as “Essential”
It’s every elected official’s dream to be in a position of ultimate power – dictating to a manifestly needy electorate what it can do and when. Incidentally, the longer that authority lasts, the better for the politicians. This power-hungry desire knows no jurisdictional or partisan boundaries, either. Legislative bodies – including the U.S. Congress […]
AB 5 Needs to Be Suspended
Transitioning to the new AB regime was already proving to be extremely difficult before the COVID19 pandemic hit. Now, the transition is impossible. Workers are having their lives upended. People are being told not to go to offices, to work remotely. And many people, facing the prospect of furloughs and layoffs, are going to be […]
Trump, Cuomo and Leadership
President Donald Trump and Gov. Andrew Cuomo each put a different face on the handling the Coronavirus pandemic. What makes a leader? Bill and Sherry discuss this and look back at the Kennedys and others who demonstrated great leadership. Check out our new podcast on Inside Golden State Politics here. https://www.buzzsprout.com/916192/3133666-leadership
In a Crisis and Beyond: All for One; One for All
A number of newspaper columns have emerged since the struggle with the coronavirus took hold praising both government’s crucial role in a crisis and the sacrifices of workers who are in the front lines. They should be acknowledged. But also brought into clear focus is the importance of business to our everyday way of life […]
West Coast Ports Remain Open, Providing Essential Service to State and Nation
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to unfold, the three of the largest ports in the nation – Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland – continue to operate, allowing for the continued flow of goods into our communities and key industries. As the world weathers this crisis, these ports provide a service that has […]
Stop Obsessing About Lottery Funds and Education
Can we stop pretending that lottery funds mean much of anything to schools? In recent weeks, we have seen the recycling of a very old faux-scandal—that the state lottery is not producing enough money for California schools. The occasion for this latest news was a state auditor’s report finding that the lottery is not producing […]