Headlines across the country have detailed Supreme Court actions regarding various state gerrymandering scandals, the politicizing the Census, and attempts by some states to create new ways to draw district lines after receiving 2020 Census data. California was not a part of any of those stories. More than a decade...
Soul-Crushing Cost of College in California, Explained
It’s not your grandparents’ — or even your parents ’— higher-ed system. A young Californian of the Baby Boomer generation, bolstered by the post-war economic boom and the state’s investment in public higher education, could often emerge from college with little to no debt and a clear path to a...
California May Take Bold Step to Insure Undocumented. Too Pricey or About Time?
As California moves closer than ever to offering free health care to low-income, undocumented adults — at a potential cost of $1 billion — battle lines are being drawn about who should benefit and who ultimately will pay the price. On the surface, the arguments are familiar, with supporters insisting...
California Might Finally Put a Lid on High-Interest Lenders
The California Assembly has passed legislation to end a 34-year era during which non-bank lenders have been free to charge consumers unlimited interest rates on loans from $2,500 to $10,000. By setting a 36% annual rate cap on such loans, Assembly Bill 539 by Assembly Banking and Finance Committee Chairwoman Monique Limón,...
‘Clean’ Freight Elusive as California Rolls To Zero Emissions
Work used to be much simpler for the California Department of Transportation: widen highways, fill potholes, build new freeways. Alas, those quaint days are gone. To get an idea of what planners must prepare for, state officials recently hosted a demonstration of a drone air taxi that will require devising...
Should Community Colleges Build Dorms for Students?
Matthew Polamalu was spending 1.5 hours each day commuting back and forth to community college along Southern California’s congested freeways when he decided he’d had enough. He sat down at his computer and Googled “community colleges with dorms.” “I was just looking for the full college experience,” said the psychology...
Commutes, Jobs at Stake in California’s Clean Air Battle With Trump
Unrelenting commutes. Lost construction jobs. A statewide economic shudder. Prepare for all three if California loses its clean air battle with the Trump administration. That’s the warning from state transportation planning agency officials, who say the ongoing fight over passenger vehicle standards might cause collateral damage to road and public...
California Democrats Loudly Lean Left but Quietly Make Safe Choice
Anyone who spent the weekend at the California Democratic Party’s convention — watching 14 White House contenders try to impress what one Congresswoman called “the wokest Democrats in the country” — observed the following: Saturday’s most rapturous cheers went to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who declared “the time for small...
California’s Earlier Spot in 2020 Primaries Shaking up Presidential Race
With the state’s Democratic Party holding its convention in San Francisco this weekend, you’ll be able to count at least 14 presidential candidates descending on California. And for a change, they’re here not just for our money, but for our votes. California will be sidling up to the front of the electoral...
Shouts, Tears, Votes Push Police Use-of-Force Standard Through Assembly
For an hour and a half Wednesday morning, California lawmakers lined up to speak for or against (but mostly for) one of the most high-profile bills of the year. One member of the Assembly, a former state cop, choked back tears as he wrestled with the implications of his vote....