Opinion

The Golden State can do better than copper landlines

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OPINION – Outdated regulations written before the internet existed continue to require broadband companies to prop up old copper telephone networks, even as consumers abandon them for the new horizons, capabilities, and possibilities of broadband.

Opinion

Non-addictive treatments key to solving opioid crisis

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OPINION – Non-opioids could have a life changing impact on the approximately 5 million Americans living with opioid use disorder today, but they could also be an invaluable tool in our effort to effectively treat acute pain patients. This is an incredible opportunity, but we will only realize the full benefits of non-opioids if we make them easily accessible to the public – meaning it’s time for a legislative solution.

Opinion

Carbon capture and storage can help California reach climate goals

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OPINION – Carbon capture and storage is a process that captures CO2 that would otherwise be released from sources like industrial and power generation facilities and safely injected deep underground for storage. This helps to significantly reduce emissions from sectors like chemical production, steel manufacturing, and power generation.

Opinion

California needs “all-of-the-above” transportation infrastructure funding strategy

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OPINION – Since the passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, and the state’s passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2017, California is investing record amounts to improve our state’s long-neglected and deteriorating transportation infrastructure system. This balanced approach to transportation infrastructure funding is the right approach to address the needs of residents in a state as large and diverse as California.

Opinion

The future of AI shouldn’t be handed off to an unelected body

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OPINION – State boards and commissions play an important role in state government, allowing appointed Californians to bring their expertise and personal experience to government. But those appointed positions were never designed to replace the role of state officials who are elected by their constituents to represent the unique needs of their communities.  

Opinion

Turnover for what? Women.

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OPINION – By December, 73 out of 120 state legislators will have left the building in just two years. As term limit reform kicks in, some critics have grumbled that this turnover is damaging, because we’re losing established leaders and decades of accumulated experience. What’s being overlooked is the leadership and experience we’re gaining. 

Opinion

California’s housing crisis: what we don’t know does hurt us

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OPINION – California’s housing crisis is large and multidimensional — from a desperate lack of affordable rentals for low- and moderate-income families to an equally severe lack of affordable homeownership opportunities for all but wealthy Californians. If we unite behind land use reforms, renter protections, and policies to make homeownership more accessible and affordable, we can ensure all Californians have a decent place to live, and that those who want to own their own home can do so. 

Opinion

Time to end the top two primary

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OPINION – There will be another primary election on Tuesday, and the result will be another indictment of this state’s failed top-two primary experiment. It’s time we go back to a system in which we let voters from all parties — Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens – select a candidate in primary elections and then let a battle of contrasting political ideas play out in the fall.

Opinion

Addressing the opioid crisis: a call to action for California’s veterans

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OPINION – The opioid epidemic in California is an urgent matter that requires immediate action, particularly with regards to its effects on veterans and their families. It is time for lawmakers in Sacramento to take decisive action and stand up for our veterans in their time of need. We need leaders – policymakers who will lead by example and influence – to optimize better treatment methods for our veterans and help tackle an untapped salient issue, long overdue.

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