An artist's rendering of California's proposed bullet train. (Image: California High Speed Rail Authority)OPINION: We can’t afford to wait any longer. Climate change is already taking its toll on our health and safety. We need to act with urgency to transform our transportation system with electrified high-speed rail as its centerpiece. California’s leaders need to show we’re serious
Police at a Vallejo crime scene, where three people were shot during an armed robbery. (Photo: Francis Arrostuto, via Shutterstck)Preliminary numbers from California’s biggest cities suggest that 2020’s stunning 30-percent increase in the statewide murder rate – the largest since 1960 – has continued to rise this year, and crime experts have as many questions as answers. “We’re seeing a continued trend” in rising murder rates throughout 2021, said Mangus Lofstrom, a policy director and senior fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
Baja-style Chinese food. Carnitas "colorada.” That’s “red pork” in Spanish. (Photo: Shutterstock)OPINION: The pandemic swept through the Los Angeles restaurant scene like a tornado, harming some while obliterating others. Forced closures, challenging outdoor dining restrictions and devastating job losses became part of the day-to-day rigor for California restaurant owners. Now, with a potential light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, another issue is likely to hit restaurants. It’s called Proposition 12.
The Energy Observer, the first round-the-world hydrogen-powered sea vessel, arrived in Long Beach on Earth Day, April 22. (Photo: Ringo Chiu, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In the May Revision to his state budget proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom added $110 million to support clean hydrogen production, recognizing the need for more clean hydrogen in the U.S. and the opportunity for California to dominate its development on a national and global scale.
A bank customer receives cash from his savings account. (Photo: Syda Productions, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The California Legislature has just passed AB 539, which will significantly reduce the ability of millions of Californians to access credit when needed. Legislators will tout the bill passing as a success, when in reality, it benefits a small group of lenders at the expense of everyday Californians with less-than-perfect credit.
A bridge over tribal waters representing the transition from the past to the future. (Photo: Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake)OPINION: Federally recognized tribes are sovereign governments – many of which have undoubtedly contributed vast, significant cultural contributions to the diverse tapestry of American social, economic and political life. Despite this recognition and contributions to society, tribes like mine unfortunately must fight hard to be remembered, respected and included in policy discussions at all levels of government.
Workers in Bakersfield on the job during the construction
of a two-story home. (Photo: Richard Thornton, via Shutterstock)OPINION: A rare burst of spontaneous political combustion occurred earlier this year in Olympia, Washington, when hairstylists, barbers, and cosmetologists mobilized against a legislative bill that would have banned booth rentals, the practice by independent contractors of renting a chair or a station at a salon to make their living. What’s going on here, in Washington state, and in every state in the nation has been a long and continuing battle to precisely define when an independent contractor really is independent and when he or she is in truth an employee.
Demonstrators protesting U.S. immigration policy at a Los Angeles rally. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)OPINION: Our nation has procrastinated far too long on fixing our broken immigration system. What is needed is a solution that has support from the large and diverse political middle of America, represented by most members of the congress.
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra delivering remarks on sanctuary cities in August at San Francisco City Hall. (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press) U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “Tough on Crime” program of maximum prison sentences and crackdowns on undocumented immigrants is “absolutely wrong” and threatens to drive the country into poverty, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Tuesday. “He’s taking us back to the days when the bogeyman drives public policy,” Becerra, the state’s top law enforcement officer, told an audience at a Venice forum sponsored by Atlantic magazine.
An aerial view of the Port of Long Beach, a critical part of California's industrial infrastructure.(Photo: trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In recent weeks, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has kicked off the process to finalize details of the state’s cap-and-trade program with public workshops held around the state. The usual suspects, from environmental advocates to industry representatives have packed hearing rooms waiting for their chance to chime in on proposed regulations.