A worker unloads cargo at an outlet in LA's Chinatown district.(Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us. Brick and mortar small businesses have been forced to quickly adapt or face the very real possibility of shutting their doors. On top of that, consumers are paying more for everything while backordered goods have become the new normal.
An industrial power plant festooned with smokestacks. (Photo: J.D.S., via Shutterstock)OPINION: Every summer California fires up dirty fossil-fuel “peaker” power plants across the state to try to keep the lights on. Want to guess where these plants are usually located? That’s right, overwhelmingly in underserved neighborhoods and communities of color.
A researcher handles a liquid nitrogen bank containing suspended stem cells. (Photo: Elena Pavlovich, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In our new financial reality, our state and you as voters are faced with tough decisions. Come November, you will decide the fate of California’s stem cell institute. This decision has never been more important to the future of California’s health care, for the patients and their families, than it is now.
An angler at Lake George in the Mammoth Lakes recreation area. (Photo: Justin Mair, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Recreational fishing has always been the greatest form of social distancing, long before the coronavirus pandemic mandated it. Gov. Gavin Newsom faces the immediate challenge of protecting the health and welfare of our state’s citizenry, it is not too early for his administration to give careful consideration to how to rebuild California’s outdoor tourism industry.
A student works from home via a computer and online instruction. (Photo: Motortion Films, via Shutterstock)Schools, parents and children in California are facing a steep learning curve as they switch to remote learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools shut down abruptly in mid-March, forcing teachers to scramble to come up with online or distance learning materials. Meanwhile, parents had to figure out how to set up home schools while balancing jobs.
A California freeway at rush hour, with traffic that includes commuters and rideshare drivers. (Photo: EGD, via Shutterstock)OPINION: My wife and I are union members working for a union employer in the Sacramento area. As full-time employees, we make a fair living, but not nearly enough for us to be able to live the life we want. In order to supplement our wages, we have chosen to work as independent contractors driving for app-based delivery and rideshare companies that service Sacramento.
Windmills at the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm in Southern California, generating clean renewable electrical energy. (Photo: Patrick Poendl, via Shutterstock)OPINION:At this week’s Global Climate Action Summit, the focus is not on countries’ efforts to curb climate change, but on how cities, states, businesses, nonprofits and other non-national actors are building a low-carbon future from the bottom up. As the host state, California is in the spotlight. And do we have a story to tell.
An illustration of the urban connectivity of a 5G-based wireless system. (Image: Supparsom, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Smart cities will soon take a major leap forward — thanks to a groundbreaking technology, 5G, or the 5th generation wireless network. 5G is anticipated to be 100 times faster than the current 4G network, which many of our devices utilize today, and 5G will dramatically reduce the time it takes to share information.
Ed’s Note: Here is the full text of the response from the California stem cell agency to a query about the five most important things that it thinks Californians should know about the $3 billion effort.
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks to the Sacramento Press Club. (Photo: Michael Warren Mott)State Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading California’s increasingly tense challenge to the policies of Donald Trump’s administration. It’s a role that gives him high visibility — and headaches. Becerra, in office just five months, is backed by the person who appointed him attorney general: Gov. Jerry Brown. That support is likely to translate into financial resources, too.