A new poll gives Sen. Kamala Harris a narrow lead among Democratic voters in her home state of California, but otherwise shows the race is still up in the air. That’s probably terrible news for Joe Biden. And the poll is also bound to disappoint Pete Buttigieg. The mayor of...
Lessons Learned by Picking Cantaloupes in San Joaquin Valley
It’s cantaloupe season in the San Joaquin Valley, a time that takes me back to a summer during high school when I picked melons in Huron for farming pioneer Russell Giffen. I didn’t know Giffen. I was merely one of thousands of high school and college students who picked crops...
How to Help Small Business Owners Afford Health Care
Alma Beltran owns a successful small business, but that doesn’t mean she can afford health care for herself and her family. In fact, the Chula Vista entrepreneur, who is president of Graphic Image Label Inc., is facing a hard choice between the health of her loved ones and the health...
In Dynamex Fight, Lawmakers Can Be Pro-Worker and Pro-Innovation
California and the Bay Area have thrived creatively, economically and culturally because we attract top talent, encourage risk-taking and give people the flexibility and freedom to pursue their dreams on their own terms. It’s a successful formula that reflects California’s indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and empowers people to do great things....
A Modest Proposal to Deregulate NCAA Sports
With every new college sports scandal or revelation of an assistant coach who makes more than a CEO, the term “student athlete” becomes even quainter than raccoon coats, goldfish swallowing or phone booth stuffing. (Remember phone booths?) College sports is big business and deserves to be treated that way. College football...
Trump Administration Sued Debt Collectors. California Should Take Note
It wasn’t front-page news when the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued two of the biggest credit repair companies in America: Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com. But it got the attention of consumer advocates and should get the attention of lawmakers. These companies are accused of illegally charging consumers upfront for credit repair services...
Lawsuit: California Should Open Presidential Primary to Independents
The way California holds its presidential primary violates the constitutional rights of political independents and misuses taxpayer dollars to “benefit wholly private political parties,” a nonpartisan election group will argue in a lawsuit it says it will file this week against the state. A draft filing from by the Independent Voter...
Podcast: What Happens to Housing Costs After the Big Quake Hits?
California was lucky. Again. The major earthquakes that rattled the Mojave Desert town of Ridgecrest earlier this month — a magnitude 6.4 temblor on July 4th followed a few days later by a whopping 7.1 quake felt throughout Southern California — were far from major population centers. Damage to people...
Preschool Teachers Ask Why ‘Cashiers at McDonalds’ Get Better Pay
Preschool teacher Lorena Gomez’s work days begin at 6:30 a.m. when she welcomes a dozen 3-year-olds into her classroom. Every day, Gomez spends nine hours standing, sitting and crouching at the height of a toddler, passing out snacks, overseeing playtimes and teaching tiny Californians their numbers, shapes, colors, letters, and...
California’s Struggle to Get Food Stamps to the Hungry
California, a state with the nation’s highest poverty rate, consistently ranks near the bottom when it comes to enrolling low-income people in CalFresh, the state’s name for the federal food stamp program. That translates to a lot of federal money that California forsakes each year. Low-income Californians would have received...