Posts Tagged: policies

Opinion

Telehealth: Keep it robust after the pandemic

A photo illustration of a doctor using telehealth to provide care to a patient via the internet. (Image: Agenturfotografin, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The need for infection prevention opened the door for telehealth, and we cannot let that door slam shut after the pandemic. Telehealth is essential to expanding people’s access to health care and the health system’s capacity.

News

in California’s elections, progressives try to elbow in

Emanuel Gonzales, a progressive candidate, campaigns in the 32nd Congressional District. (Photo: Gonzales campaign)

There are a growing number of candidates who describe themselves as progressives. They have varied backgrounds but have one thing in common — their chances of actually winning are very, very small. Across California, more and more people are opting to run for higher office, seizing onto the theories of change spearheaded by progressives like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Opinion

Wanted: An ‘all-of-the-above’ housing strategy

An aerial view of a residential neighborhood in San Francisco. (Photo: Sundry Photography, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: There is general agreement that California remains in a housing affordability crisis that is hitting the state’s working families extremely hard, forcing long polluting commutes and causing spiraling rates of homelessness. But opinions differ markedly on the appropriate response to the increasingly dire situation.INI

News

California vs. the feds over offshore drilling

A tanker passes by two oil exploration rigs off the coast of Huntington Beach. (Photo: Ana Phelps)

The rubber is hitting the road, the gloves are coming off and California leaders are suiting up for battle. At least, figuratively. When the Trump Administration announced that it would commence offshore oil drilling across all national waters — including six locations in California — federal agencies struck against decades of bipartisan environmental policy in California.

Opinion

California: A path forward on race

A diverse crowd recites the Pledge of Allegiance at a political rally at CSU-Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)

OPINION: In 1968, California officially adopted a nickname, “the Golden State,” to convey a sense of opportunity for all who live here. But a new initiative confirms that, nearly a half century later, Californians still face profound opportunity gaps based on race.

News

California slaps surcharges on some health care policies

Illustration: Logo of Covered California

California’s health exchange said Wednesday it has ordered insurers to add a surcharge to certain policies next year because the Trump administration has yet to commit to paying a key set of consumer subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The decision to impose a 12.4 percent surcharge on silver-level health plans in 2018 means the total premium increase for them will average nearly 25 percent, according to Covered California.

Opinion

Housing: Low inventory, high prices, too much regulation

An aerial view of an affluent suburban housing tract in California. (Photo: Lightspot, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Either reduce the torrent of regulatory burdens on California home builders or face a future of high housing costs and stunted economic growth. So concludes Loren Kaye, president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, who penned one of several articles issued last month through the Center for California Real Estate (CCRE).

Opinion

Struggling to make California affordable

A housing tract in San Jose, Calif. (Photo: PBK-PG, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: When California residents in the Bay Area making over $100,000 per year are considered “low income” and thereby eligible for government subsidies for housing, something is seriously wrong. The issue of affordability is hitting critical mass in regions throughout the state.

Opinion

The CPUC and environmental justice

A natural gas plant near Ventura, Calif. (Photo: Henrik Lehnerer)

OPINION: California is moving faster than expected toward a clean energy future with ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and new innovations in renewable energy. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that all Californians can benefit from the cleaner air, local jobs and economic benefits clean energy can bring. State regulatory agencies play a powerful role in making our clean energy future a reality.

Opinion

The pitfalls of overregulation

A power plant in Manhattan Beach, shortly after its 2012 opening. (Photo: Luc Mena)

OPINION: Recognizing the need to reduce the burdens of overregulation to spur our nation’s economy, Congress put on the top of their legislative agenda the REINS Act, which would require the House and Senate to approve any major regulation before it can go into effect. California — no stranger to abundant regulations and the increasing consolidation of power in state agencies promulgating an ever-growing list of major regulations — must also rein in overregulation the way Congress is trying to do to revitalize job creation throughout our state.

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