Opinion

‘Porch piracy’ is the scourge of our neighborhoods

A video doorbell system captures an image of a person stealing a package off a porch. (Photo: RightFramePhotoVideo, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Thieves watch the packages being delivered and then abscond with them before the homeowner gets an opportunity to retrieve the package. Porch pirates stole an estimated 210 million packages last year. A recent study found that 64% of Americans have been the victim of porch piracy in the past year.

News

Desalination: Should California use the ocean to quench its thirst?

A beach in Carlsbad, San Diego County, which has the nation's largest desalination plant. (Photo: Sherry V Smith, via Shutterstock)

Here we are again: California is enduring another punishing drought, this one only a few years after the last one ended, which was the most severe drought in the state’s nearly 500 years of recorded history. Low winter snowpack combined with scorching summer temperatures and the driest winter months in 100 years have severely impacted the state’s water supply. Lake Oroville, an important reservoir in Butte County, had sunk to 49% of capacity by July 1

News

That sound you hear — ka-ching! — is California’s November ballot

The Barona Resort and Casino in Lakeside, located on the Barona Indian Reservation in San Diego County.(Photo: Sherry V Smith, via Shutterstock)

With California’s statewide top-of-ticket races stacking up as weak-challenger romps, attention – and spending – turns to seven ballot measures, which taken together may well add up to the costliest state election ever. Experts say this could be the year that election-related spending tops $1 billion – a figure more in line with a presidential campaign.

News

California’s plan for ‘miraculous’ cures — at $49,000 per hour

A liquid nitrogen bank containing a suspension of stem cells for biomedical research. (Photo: Elena Pavlovich, via Shutterstock)

California is planning on spending $49,000 an hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the next year to help scientists develop what some describe as “miraculous” cures and treatments for currently deadly afflictions. The spending plan was approved with no fuss last month while state lawmakers and the governor wrestled more noisily with a $308 billion state budget

Opinion

What we need: smart, affordable transportation

A bicycle parked near the Golden Gate Bridge during a summer outing. (Photo: Juliana F Rodriguez, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Time is almost up for Gov. Newsom and the state legislature to invest in critical solutions to two major crises—sky-high gas prices and climate change. If they act now, they can help Californians spend less on gas by delivering transportation options that are better for the environment. That’s why legislators should support $2 billion for the Active Transportation Program (ATP).

Opinion

Dams, a key part of state infrastructure, must be kept safe

O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park, is a key source of water to the SF Bay Area. (Photo: SveKo, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: We applaud Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature for taking bold action last year to fund climate resilience and related water infrastructure in the fiscal year 2021-’22 state budget. In light of the current budget surplus, funding for climate resilience and water infrastructure should remain a key priority for investment in California.

Opinion

Affordable health care threatened by hospitals’ mark-up costs

Photo illustration of money and medical care. (Image: ShutterstockProfessional, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: If passed, SB 958 would severely limit specialty pharmacies’ ability to deliver lower cost medications to patients, while also making it even easier for hospitals to markup the cost they charge patients for critical medications, and in the end, we would see higher health care premiums for California’s employers and individuals.

Analysis

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the race for the top prize

Gov. Gavin Newsom during a visit last fall to San Francisco. (Photo: Jana Asenbrennerova, via Shutterstock)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared flatly that he is not interested in running for president. “I have sub-zero interest,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial board recently. “It’s not even on my radar.” Right.

Opinion

Health care: Sickle cell disease strikes hard at people of color

The hands of a man suffering from sickle cell disease, or SCD.(Image: Sickle Cell Disease Emergency Department, Duke University.)

OPINION: Growing up in Nigeria meant living in the shadow of sickle cell disease (SCD). In 2010, an estimated 90,000 newborns in Nigeria had sickle cell anemia – the highest incidence of SCD worldwide. I vividly remember being about 10 years old and the pain of learning why my neighborhood friend had stopped coming over to play.

Opinion

A crucial effort to expand home internet access

Students accessing broadband from a computer lab. (Photo: J. Lekavicius, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Students all know the pains – dropped Zoom calls, spotty reception and failed downloads. COVID-19 has changed college campuses forever, expanding the classroom to wherever we can connect to the internet. While the transition has opened more access for students, it also  leaves behind many, including the 3.5 million Californians who do not have internet access at home.

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