Posts Tagged: history

Podcast

The Townsend Plan: The forgotten movement that shaped Social Security

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: In September 1933, in the depths of the Depression, Dr. Francis Townsend wrote a letter to the Long Beach Press-Telegram with an idea that would end the Depression and alleviate the endemic poverty for the nation’s elderly. Two years later his idea was a bill in congress. Our guest today, Dr. Edwin Amenta is the author of When Movements Matter: The Townsend Plan and the Rise of Social Security. He tells the story of the Townsend Plan, how it became a movement and how it changed the conversation about old age pensions in America and ultimately shaped the Social Security we know today.

Opinion

Opposition brewing to Sacramento storm water tax

A warning sign blocks motorists from entering an area flooded by storm water. (Photo: Yorklass, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: We strongly suspect that readers of this column are stunned to see the authors’ names together as coauthors. One of us is a conservative taxpayer advocate and the other is a Democratic political consultant. What unites us is our opposition to the City of Sacramento’s proposed storm water tax. Here’s some background.

News

Fire-ravaged California at ‘pivotal moment’ in its history

The Lava Fire burns in June on the northwest side of Mt. Shasta. (Photo: Trevor Bexon, via Shutterstock)

The statistics are terrifying, the damage heartbreaking and California wildfires continue their rampage. “We’re at a pivotal moment in California history as we choose how to spend billions of dollars for climate resilience and wildfire preparation in the state budget,” said state Sen. Henry Stern, chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management.

News

Price tag in Newsom recall battle starting to grow

Demonstrators in Huntington Beach protesting Gov. Newsom's closure orders in 2020. (Photo: mikeledray, via Shutterstock)

An effort to recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has not even reached the ballot, but foes and backers of the governor already have raised or spent more than $7.5 million, with the likelihood of much, much more to come. The fundraising is a work in progress but all but certain to expand exponentially if, as expected, the effort makes the ballot and an election is held later this year.

News

Rodeos: Activist saddles up against ‘macho crap’

Animal rights activist Eric Mills of Oakland. (Photo: Screen capture, actionforanimals-oakland.com)

California has seen ideological clashes throughout its 170-year history as a state, and they are not all confined to Democrats vs. Republicans, north vs. south, coast vs. inland, or rural vs. urban. One of today’s sharpest battles is between rodeo boosters and those who find rodeos cruel and silly. Foremost among the latter is Eric Mills of Oakland, who calls rodeos “just a bunch of macho crap.”

News

CA120: The lowdown on ‘ballot harvesting’

An illustration of voters preparing their ballots for mailing. (Image: Lightspring, via Shutterstock)

A recent dustup with the California Republican Party using unofficial dropboxes as a version of so-called “ballot harvesting” has brought the state’s ballot delivery process under a national spotlight. Much of this controversy can be attributed to the misleading way in which the law has been interpreted, most commonly by people who are trying to conjure up scandal and supposed misdeeds by campaigns that organize such efforts and win.

News

Ghost of Proposition 209 haunts November ballot

Voters casting their ballots at a local precinct. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, Shutterstock)

Proposition 209, the constitutional amendment intended to prevent discrimination or preferential treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex in areas like public education and contracting, was approved by California voters a generation ago. In November, they will decide whether to get rid of it.

Opinion

Housing supply key to successful coronavirus recovery

A panoramic view of housing in an Anaheim neighborhood. (Photo: NAPA, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: While we still do not know how all those impacts are going to affect us going forward, one thing we know won’t change is the need for housing in this state. While the housing market has slowed dramatically as Californians observe the state’s stay-at-home order, it will come to the fore again in our “new normal.”

News

Stem cell agency eyes ballot perils

A liquid nitrogen bank containing stem cells.(Photo: Alena Pavlovich, via Shutterstock)

The 29 directors of the California stem cell agency are hearing a warning this week that certain types of their possible activities on behalf of a proposed $5.5 billion ballot initiative could lead to a criminal investigation by state or local law enforcement agencies. While that would seem to be an unlikely event, it has caught up another California public enterprise (the Bay Area Rapid Transit District).

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