Image by wildpixel. OPINION – California needs to get smart about its transportation policies. Our state’s myopic focus on statewide emissions lacks any clear connection to global climate goals or strategies.
Image courtesy of 24K-ProductionThere is a growing acceptance in mental health circles that some psychedelics – particularly psilocybin, MDMA, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline – have great promise for treating certain mental health disorders, including post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. But some observers fear legalizing it could kick off a psilocybin Gold Rush that emphasizes profits over patient care.
Kratom leaves and various products, image by Here AsiaOPINION – The Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) has been enacted in 11 states – Utah, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, and Texas – and others are entertaining following suit. California – the largest consumer market for kratom, and its 40 million residents – should be one of those states.
Depressed and alone, a young woman sits beside the ocean. (Photo: PKpix, via Shutterstock)
OPINION: Debates about the Governor’s CARE Courts program have raged across the state in recent months. A major point of contention is whether Californians with mental health challenges will be helped or hurt by being pushed into the legal system.
The Diablo Canyon nuclear power station on the coast of Central California. (Photo: Tracey Adams, via Wikipedia and Flickr)OPINION: California’s power is expensive and polluting – but doesn’t have to be.
The state of California plans to replace Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) mostly with Wyoming coal-fired generation. The source of the replacement power will remain hidden until 2025, when Californians can’t stop the state
Hollywood Boulevard at dusk in Los Angeles. (Sean Pavone, via Shutterstock)Americans disagree about California. And at least part of the argument hinges on politics. Republicans don’t think much of California; Democrats like the place. According to a recent YouGov study, Republicans list California as the worst state. Only Washington D. C., which is not a state, ranks below California in Republicans’ estimation.
A PG&E vehicle at the intersection of Oliver and Skyway in Paradise during the 2018 Camp Fire.(Photo: Dylan Mittag, via Shutterstock)Rather than fixing its system during its five-year felony probation, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. instead spent the time, which ends today, “on a crime spree” of negligence, causing 31 wildfires, 113 deaths, thousands of lost structures and a half-million charred acres, according to the federal judge who oversaw the probation.
A team from the intensive care unit at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon, prepares to intubate a crashing covid-19 patient. (Photo: Michael Blumhardt, via Asante)If you live in one of the rural communities tucked into the forested hillsides along the Oregon-California border and need serious medical care, you’ll probably wind up at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. It serves about nine counties on either side of the border. It is one of three hospitals Asante owns in the region. All three ICUs are 100% full of covid patients, according to staff members.
An image illustrating political infighting. (Image: Lightspring)California’s impending loss of a congressional seat may set off vicious intraparty fights not seen in California for nearly a decade. The conflict may happen because the state’s congressional districts will be redrawn on the basis of population figures from the 2020 census.
An eastbound driver on Interstate 15 near Baker at the Death Valley turnoff. (Photo: TS Photography, via ShutterstockGrowth – rapid, buoyant, unstoppable – has been part of California’s DNA since tough and greedy men from around the world came here in search of gold 170 years ago. Now it may be a thing of the past. There are even websites giving prospective emigrants tips on how to make stress-free moves to various states, such as Oregon, Texas and Idaho.