Image by Blue Planet StudioOPINION – When it comes to expenditures of public funds, taxpayers of every political stripe deserve accountability. Above all, they want to know that their hard-earned dollars are not padding the pockets of unscrupulous actors who fail to honor the public’s trust. California’s most recent legislative session delivered real protections on this metric, though you may not have heard about it yet.
Aging at home, image by evrymmntOPINION – It’s been four years since Governor Newsom signed the executive order for the Master Plan for Aging (MPA) to ensure that all Californians can age well. Great progress has been made on achieving the MPA’s goals, but we’re still in the early stages of implementation.
The high cost of living, image by William PotterOPINION – A groundbreaking and startling new report shows California is losing the battle to bring people out of homelessness because living in our state is simply unaffordable.
A tossed plastic bottle ends up in the ocean off Santa Monica. (Photo: Danila Delimont, via Shutterstock)California’s inability to meet its long-stated goal of cutting solid waste by 75 percent by 2020 prompted environmentalists to craft a ballot initiative aimed at November targeting single-use single-use plastic products – including a sharp limit on their production.
A tipped bottle with coins: An illustration of pension funding. (Photo: JeJai Images, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Growing public pension deficits have plagued our nation for years, but in the midst of some of the harshest fiscal blows from the pandemic, this problem is something we can no longer ignore. While California champions itself as a leader of positive change in the United States, we also happen to be the leader in skyrocketing pension obligations. And there are no signs of this unsustainable pattern slowing down.
A landfill gas collection site in Sunnyvale. (Photo: Michael Vi, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Reducing the amount of organic waste that is buried in California landfills is an environmental imperative. As state policy mandates, something has to be done to choke back the production of methane, the gas that is generated when table scraps, yard clippings and other organic materials decompose underground.
Businesses in Cambria line a street usually bustling with customers, but now deserted due to the coronavirus (Photo; randy andy, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Under California’s police powers, Gov. Newsom’s gently named “Stay at Home” mandates the closure of all non-essential travel, activities and businesses. Small businesses have been inevitably forced to shutter their doors. Similarly, non-profits which account for 10% of the U.S. GDP and employ 12 million workers, are no doubt also affected.
A utility worker handles repairs on a power pole. (Photo: Richard Thornton, via Shutterstock)PG&E’s reputation has been so battered over its wildfire liabilities and other problems that some think it should change its name. A group of bondholders trying to take over the utility company has proposed that they re-brand it to Golden State Power Light & Gas Co. They made the proposal during proceedings in PG&E’s bankruptcy court case earlier this year.
The late Paul Gann, center, and Howard Jarvis clasp their hands in victory as their ballot initiative, Proposition 13, takes a commanding lead on election night, June 7, 1978. (AP Photo)Months after President Trump slashed corporations’ federal tax rate, a coalition of progressive California groups is hoping to raise their property taxes. The Schools and Communities First Coalition, which includes the League of Women Voters, Evolve California and other organizations, is seeking signatures to put an initiative on the ballot that would institute a “split roll” property tax system.
An indoor marijuana grow in California. (Photo: Mitch M., via Shutterstock)OPINION: No one expected California’s legalization of recreational cannabis, barely two months’ old, to be without plenty of problems. In a mixed metaphor so often the trait of politicians, state Sen. Mike McGuire noted, “… as I have always said, this is a tall mountain to climb and we are currently building the airplane and flying it at the same time.”