Posts Tagged: Stern

Fire-ravaged California at ‘pivotal moment’ in its history

The Lava Fire burns in June on the northwest side of Mt. Shasta. (Photo: Trevor Bexon, via Shutterstock)

by CHUCK McFADDEN posted 08.13.2021

The statistics are terrifying, the damage heartbreaking and California wildfires continue their rampage. “We’re at a pivotal moment in California history as we choose how to spend billions of dollars for climate resilience and wildfire preparation in the state budget,” said state Sen. Henry Stern, chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management.

Rodeos: Activist saddles up against ‘macho crap’

Animal rights activist Eric Mills of Oakland. (Photo: Screen capture, actionforanimals-oakland.com)

by CHUCK McFADDEN posted 03.18.2021

California has seen ideological clashes throughout its 170-year history as a state, and they are not all confined to Democrats vs. Republicans, north vs. south, coast vs. inland, or rural vs. urban. One of today’s sharpest battles is between rodeo boosters and those who find rodeos cruel and silly. Foremost among the latter is Eric Mills of Oakland, who calls rodeos “just a bunch of macho crap.”

Follow the money: Shining a light on political nonprofits

A blind-folded Ben Franklin on the $100 bill. (Photo: Ricardo Reitmeyer, Shutterstock)

by JOHN HOWARD posted 11.11.2015

Spawned by a midnight burglary, California’s campaign ethics law propelled a young politician to the governorship and tapped into voters’ desire to rid political campaigns of secret cash. That voter-approved law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, has been largely untouchable for more than 40 years. But now it may get a rewrite.