OPINION: Over the past several years, severe wildfire conditions across the Western United States have impacted communities throughout California and prompted new questions regarding where and how to build homes in communities outside our cities. While more urban density is one way to address the critical housing needs of a growing population, it is not the only option.
L.A.'s Hollywood Boulevard by night, an entertainment hub of the city. (Photo: View Apart, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Most consumers are all too familiar with signs displayed by small business owners that read, “We reserve the right to deny service to anyone.” Signs once intended to discourage minor infractions are largely obsolete today, especially with the escalation of alcohol-induced violence in bars and nightclubs. Today, alcohol is a leading contributor to sexual and aggravated assault, and homicide.
The silhouette of a sad man. (Photo: Freedom Studio, via Shutterstock)This is Suicide Prevention Week – a reminder that by learning the warning signs of suicide and how to intervene, every Californian has the opportunity to be a lifesaver.
California doctor, a photo illustration. (Niyazz, via Shutterstock)Medi-Cal is a deeply misunderstood program. It spends a lot of money, but it’s most certainly not out of control, and it is not a welfare program. The truth is that Medi-Cal is one of the state’s most cost-effective programs, serving more than one-third of Californians and half of all California children.
Marijuana plant. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.If California legalizes recreational marijuana, the state should develop a single highly regulated marijuana market—for medical and recreational uses. This is among the key findings of a report released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). It analyzes the regulatory approaches taken by Washington and Colorado — the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana.
An inmate gestures through the bars of his prison cell. (Photo: Sakhorn, Shutterstock)For decades, Californians and their representatives in the state Capitol had a “lock-‘em-up-and-throw-away-the-key” approach to lawbreakers. But that view is changing. Following years of a steadily increasing prison population and some communities repeatedly being devastated by crime, public discussion has shifted in part toward reforming law enforcement’s approach to crime prevention.