The Gig Worker Battle Continues
When the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, was awaiting final congressional action in 2010, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a speech to county officials, uttered 24 words that have haunted her ever since. Referring to the controversies that surrounded the groundbreaking legislation, she said, “But we have to pass the bill so that […]
Taxing Empty Properties
Moves to tax housing units and storefronts left empty are gathering steam in California and once again will pit government instincts to “do something” with real and perceived problems in conflict with rights of property owners. In San Francisco tomorrow, voters will decide if storefront properties left empty for 182 days or longer will have […]
A Tale of Two California Elections
It’s the best of California elections. It’s the worst of California elections. It’s never been easier to vote in California. It’s never been harder to figure out how to vote. These March elections represent the culmination of years of herculean efforts by state and local officials to boost the state’s historically low voter turnouts, by […]
So Much for the Safeguarding of Crime Victims’ Rights
In another exhibition of fluff and political grandstanding, George Gascón has promised that if elected District Attorney he would seek resentencing for the 229 inmates on death row who were tried and sentenced in Los Angeles County. Never mind that there is no legal authority for him to recall and resentence a person already on […]
New Coalition Launches to Fight for Safer Streets and Rider Privacy
A new group called Communities Against Rider Surveillance (CARS) has formed to raise awareness of Mobility Data Specification (MDS), a dangerous technology that makes it easy for local governments to track people’s personal movements through cities. The CARS coalition is comprised of privacy and civil liberties advocates, as well as transportation innovators who are asking […]
The Curse of the California State Lottery
School advocates have always had a love-hate relationship with the California State Lottery. On the one hand the Lottery has supplied billions of dollars to the schools since it was passed by voters 36 years ago. On the other hand, when school supporters seek more money for education—as they do on a regular basis—they run […]
Why California’s crossover primary is bad for democracy
California’s crossover presidential primary — touted as empowering the states’s 5.3 million unaffiliated, No Party Preference voters — actually disenfranchises them and others, by perpetuating a winner-take-all duopoly of limited choices, and getting little in return. In the process, it distracts from needed reforms that could actually enable a more vibrant democracy. Since 1999, the […]
The Impact of a Virus on Global Economic Integration
Last week, the Commerce Department released gross domestic product data shedding light on the overall economy and the road ahead in 2020. Low unemployment, climbing wages, lower household debt, and a robust stock market are credited with supporting a strong economy. Consumer spending extended growth at 1.8% in the fourth quarter. As for the trade […]
Latino small business owners are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in U.S.
On the weekends, Salinas food truck owner Orlando Osornio, 30, and his wife, Denise, sell mile-high tortas, filled with California fusion-inspired ingredients: hot Cheetos, bacon, mango-habañero sauce, or pineapple. Some come for the birria torta or the chicken-bacon-alfredo torta. A line of customers winds its way around the side of his tent as meat sizzles […]