Posts Tagged: essential

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

Greater broadband access is critical to closing the digital divide

Illustration of a highspeed connections at a data center: >i>(Image: Anucha Cheechang, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: During the past year, as the pandemic inflicted incalculable heartbreak and loss, internet connectivity helped Californians get through the worst public health crisis in over 100 years. But while reliable, high-speed internet access became a lifeline to so many of us during the pandemic, this lifeline was not equally available to all of us.

Opinion

Small businesses offer key fiscal support for government

Downtown Placerville, Calif. (Photo: Laurens Hoddenbagh, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The recent flurry of stories about small business woes often miss an important part of the picture: Small businesses’ role in helping fund government’s important responsibilities. Consider the City of Placerville. Located in El Dorado County with the original colorful Gold Rush era monikers, the sometimes controversial Hangtown and the more staid Dry Diggings, the city is a tourist draw housing a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Opinion

Telehealth: Keep it robust after the pandemic

A photo illustration of a doctor using telehealth to provide care to a patient via the internet. (Image: Agenturfotografin, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The need for infection prevention opened the door for telehealth, and we cannot let that door slam shut after the pandemic. Telehealth is essential to expanding people’s access to health care and the health system’s capacity.

News

Note to industry: Electric trucks save lives

An electric big-rig tractor-trailer truck. (Photo: Union of Concerned Scientists)

OPINION: Polluters never miss an opportunity to exploit a crisis for financial gain — and the coronavirus crisis is no exception. As millions of Americans hunker down in their homes, sacrificing their incomes to save lives, truck manufacturers are endangering people in my community by lobbying for delays to the nation’s first electric truck standard, which would slash toxic air pollution from trucks.

Opinion

Child care — the core of a healthy, functioning society

A woman and her baby boy on the beach in San Diego. (Photo: Sarmiento Photography, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: For nearly a quarter of a century, Parent Voices, a partnership of parents throughout California, has led an annual event on the grounds of California’s Capitol called “Stand for Children Day.” Each May, parent and youth leaders march side-by-side before meeting with legislators to advocate for policies that protect the state’s children and their families.

Opinion

Childcare in a locked-down world

Youngsters at play in a kindergarten.. Photo: Robert Kneschke, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: A recent television news headline asked, “Can day cares stay open amid coronavirus outbreak?” The answer has been confusing to many – school are closed, shouldn’t childcare centers be, too? Why are these groups of people okay but not others? What about the safety of the kids and staff?

Opinion

March 3: Voters will decide on $15 billion for schools

Students at their graduation ceremonies at UCLA. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Voters may be surprised to find Proposition 13 on their March 3 ballot because they recall the 1978 vote on another Proposition 13. But be assured: This year’s Prop. 13 has nothing to do with the well-known tax-cutting measure and everything to do with the future of the state. Proposition 13 is the strongest statewide school bond measure in California history, providing $15 billion to make educational facilities safe for students.

News

A conversation with Planned Parenthood’s Kathy Kneer

Kathy Kneer, president and CEO of California Planned Parenthood. (Photos: Planned Parenthood)

Capitol Weekly Interview: Kathy Kneer is the president and CEO of California Planned Parenthood. CW’s Alex Matthews caught up with Kathy recently for a detailed discussion that included health care, family planning, meeting the needs of low-income Californians and the challenges of the Affordable Care Act.

Opinion

Captive orcas: Proposed ban is ill-advised, anti-science

Orcas perform at SeaWorld in San Diego. Photo: Cunimedia Photography

OPINION: More than 9 million students and teachers have participated in SeaWorld’s formal education programs. SeaWorld scientists have published more than 30 studies specific to killer whales, and the park’s successful care and husbandry of its population of killer whales – supported by a three-year, $70-million investment in their habitat – allows them to manage a healthy population of animals, while keeping young calves with their mothers and respecting the whales’ social structure.

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