Chris Nichols, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Peter Cohen, Mark Stivers and Chione Fleagal at A Conference on Housing, March 9, 2023. Photo By Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Housing, and presents Panel 2: Affordable Housing.
An image illustrating research into public-private partnerships. (Photo: Ada Ghazali, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The pandemic caused devastating economic damage to our communities. While the job market may never return to what it was before 2020, it’s undeniable that government action, combined with the ingenuity of small businesses and corporations, staved off what could have been even further socioeconomic harms.
The crowded Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles. (Photo: PPIC)The Census Bureau released total population numbers for California, suggesting a significant slowdown in the state’s population growth. But these numbers do not include the last half of 2020, and they do not tell us why population growth has slowed. We won’t have official census counts of this information for many months. But we do have population estimates from the California Department of Finance through the first few months of the pandemic.
Industrial propane tanks. (Photo: RazorbackAlum, via Shutterstock)ANALYSIS: Among the numerous advocates for a wider range of lower-carbon options in the U.S. is one group who’ve not received much attention: the propane industry. Given the trends on propane usage and production, that may very well change in 2021. Propane advocates think that their fuel is not getting the kind of attention that it deserves from policy-makers, regulators, and environmental lobbyists.
Beacon Portraits all 2018For the second year in a row, California has seen its population decline – After generations of growth, the state is losing more people than it gains every year.
What does that mean for a state that has nearly 40 million people already? How many can we afford to lose? And, who is leaving? For this episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast we spoke with Adam Fowler, Director of Research for Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm based in Los Angeles.
Photo: Tony Savino, via Shutterstock)OPINION: It is critical that as the budget discussions progress one sector of public school students who have been shortchanged are treated — and funded — equally as their peers: Personalized Learning public charter school students.
The CalPERS' governing board during a meeting several years ago at the pension fund's headquarters. (Photo: CalPERS board)OPINION: Like most public employees, I pursued a career in state service because I want to serve the people of this state and do my part to promote a safe, healthy, well educated, and just California. I was also attracted to the financial security and benefits available to public employees. Unfortunately, politicization of at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) threatens these goals and makes me question whether my pension will be there for me when I retire in a few decades.
Youngsters receiving instruction online during the pandemic. (Photo: adriaticfoto, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Back to school time typically comes with its own host of challenges, from making sure you’ve purchased all of the required school supplies to helping your child readjust to an early morning wake-up call. But this year is different. Many Californians are continuing to adapt to the “new normal,” and that means the way they are choosing to educate their children is changing too.
A Los Angeles demonstration aimed at raising the minimum wage in 2015. (Photo: Dan Holm, Shutterstock)California’s job and economic growth has outpaced much of the nation in recent years. That growth, however, has not eliminated one of the state’s biggest challenges: poverty. This week, State Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes called poverty California’s No. 1 priority during a forum of legislative leaders in Sacramento.
A view of downtown L.A. from the Whittier Bridge. (Photo: Shalunts, via ShutterstockOPINION: The California Environmental Quality Act has long been the punching bag of business interests and some policy makers. It has been blamed for everything from a dearth of affordable housing to a sluggish economy during financial downturns. Yet, until now, precious little objective research has been conducted to understand the costs and benefits associated with this 46-year-old law.