Image by Chris AllanOPINION – Gavin Newsom’s stealthy divide and conquer tactics are pushing marginalized communities against each other in a war over water, pitting disadvantaged communities from different regions of the state against each other.
Clean energy, image by ideadesignOPINION – Even as California has made great strides and raised the bar on climate action, it has not adequately planned for our long-term energy needs. Now we are at a turning point. We need a plan to reach the state’s new clean energy targets of 90 percent by 2035 and 95 percent by 2040 on the road to 100 percent by 2045.
Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter. Photo courtesy of the U.S. House of RepresentativesOPINION: The next U.S. Senator from California will be only the third member of the House of Representatives to ascend to the position in more than a half-century. The big question is: Who will it be?
An illustration of a son and his father facing the future. Image: Jacob-09)OPINION: An increasing number of children report feeling sad, hopeless, and, in the most extreme cases, suicidal. We cannot wait any longer to ensure every child has the behavioral health support they need, regardless of how they receive their health care coverage.
The railroad trestle over Gaviota Creek. (Photo: Robert Ashworth, via Wikipedia)Approximately 75% of California’s population lives along the state’s 1,271 miles of coastline. By some estimates, half a foot of that coast will be lost by 2030, and as much as seven feet of coast by 2100. Along with rising sea levels, increasingly strong king tides, flooding, and El Niño events will affect low-lying areas with greater power and frequency.
A stormwater runoff system under construction. (Photo: Maksim Safaniuk, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Gov. Gavin Newsom has boldly promoted the goal of building more than 3 million new homes by 2025 to address the significant supply/demand imbalance and bring down the cost of housing. Given California’s challenging regulatory processes, we’re already falling woefully short of those ambitious goals. In spite of this, an excessive new proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) – comprised of gubernatorial appointees — will further stall new housing production.
A display of "rhino pills," seen in many gas stations across the country. (Photo: Amy Martyn, FairWarning)In 2015, Nam Hyun Lee, a South Korean living in Southern California, got into the lucrative business of making herbal, over-the-counter sex supplements for men. He put an aggressive-looking rhinoceros on the label, and over the next several years shipped 10,000 capsules of “Rhino 69 9000” or “Rhino 8 8000” to distributors in Maryland and Texas, according an indictment by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana.
An unlined segment of the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct south of Manzanar near U.S. Route 395. (Photo: Gann Matsuda)What does a Central Valley almond farmer have in common with a San Diego homeowner? The answer is simple: Water. More specifically, the amount of water they need to sustain their respective lifestyles — which is a lot.
California's 25th Congressional District. (Map: Federal Elections Commission)It’s been a wild year for politics in 2019, from the national to the state scene, and one of the wilder spots is California’s 25th Congressional District. The year started off with Democrats cheering as millennial Katie Hill took the seat, flipping it blue after a 25-year run in Republican hands.
A portion of the California Aqueduct in the Central Valley. (Photo: Hank Shiffman, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Ask me what tops the list of California’s most critical infrastructure, and I’ll tell you it’s the State Water Project. It’s hard to argue with the fact that water is a prerequisite for all life and a healthy economy. That’s why financing the operation and maintenance of the State Water Project in a responsible, cost-effective manner should be common sense — not a political volley that puts California’s lifeline at risk and threatens ratepayers with a surge in water rates that is easily avoidable.