Posts Tagged: passion

California’s water chief steps up to fight historic drought

Joaquin Esquivel at a water board meeting. (Photo: Water Education Foundation.)

by LISA RENNER posted 08.08.2022

As a native of the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs where it hardly ever rains, Joaquin Esquivel has always known that water is precious. His uncle often took him to the Salton Sea, and he had family served by a well. He carries that respect for the resource as chair of California’s State Water Resources Control Board.   “Growing up in the desert, you are very aware of water,” he said.

Don’t forget the median wage — and higher

A man addresses a raise-the-minimum-wage demonstration in Los Angeles. (Photo: Dan Holm)

by JIM MAYER posted 04.04.2016

While lawmakers were cutting themselves up over the thorny minimum wage bill this week, a powerful conversation took place three blocks away from the capitol. Industry, union and college leaders were working through the pragmatic next steps on a modest proposal to move more Californians from minimum wage to medium wages and higher.

Millions of Californians receive quality health care thanks to the Affordable Care Act and Medi-Cal. And though most would probably thank President Obama or the Governor for that, Peter Harbage, who passed away Tuesday at age 43, after a courageous fight with cancer, had a lot to do with it too. “Peter is the unsung architect of health care reform in the United States,” says Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Health Access, a health care consumer advocacy group.

The next eight months are going to be very interesting: Will the canoe still float?