Annie Wang remembers the panic she felt being a freshman in a 500-person chemistry class at UC Davis when her period arrived and she didn’t have a tampon or pad. There was nowhere nearby to go, and leaving to find something meant missing the class. So she tried to focus...
Kamala Harris Backs Idea to Unionize Child Care Workers
Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris was just about to take the stage Monday night at Sacramento’s Sheraton Grand Hotel ballroom when she spotted and ran over to a group of women sporting yellow t-shirts sitting on the right side of the auditorium. They were California child-care workers hoping to win collective...
Private Colleges Wary as Cal Legislator Calls for Crackdown on Legacy Admits
The nationwide scandal involving bribery in college admissions has also illuminated all the legal ways wealthy families can game the system. Now the debate over how to respond has hit the California Legislature, and struck a nerve not just with the state's public higher education system but also with private...
The #RealCollege Guru Offers Three Ways to Fix California’s Student Financial Aid
If the plight of hungry and homeless college students has lately caught the national media’s attention, it’s in no small part due to the efforts of Temple University professor Sara Goldrick-Rab. Goldrick-Rab, who describes herself as a “scholar activist,” has been trying to get policymakers to address the cost of college for...
Fewer California Youths Are Getting Arrested, but Consequences Are More Serious
It’s hard to believe how fast crime by youths has plunged. In 2007, 237,000 Californians under age 18 were arrested for criminal offenses. In 2017, just 56,000, a decline of 76 percent over the decade. Yet within that sunny trend, a troubling one has emerged: In 2007, just 43 percent of arrested...
California Lawmakers Debate How to Prevent Another College Admissions Scandal
When state legislators grilled University of California staff at a hearing Tuesday about the university’s response to the recent college admissions scandal, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty asked the question that’s been reverberating since the story broke last week. “How do we reassure the public that the system is not totally rigged?” It’s...
‘Common Sense Regulations’ or ‘an Extended Middle Finger’? How Far Will California Go on Charter Schools?
With new fast-tracked transparency rules for charter schools in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has fulfilled a January pledge to bring “long overdue” accountability measures to this growing sector of public schools. But the open meeting and disclosure law Newsom signed — after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed similar bills twice in prior years...
Don’t Leave California’s Climate Goals Stuck in Traffic
Remember the last time you were stuck in traffic, and you were late for something really important? Well, that’s where California’s climate goals are without the completion of our high-speed rail project designed to alleviate California’s traffic congestion and the resulting air quality effects. Having built most of California’s utility-scale...
California Raised Taxes to Pay Doctors for the Poor. It’s Still Waiting for Them.
It’s been two years since Californians voted to raise tobacco taxes so the state could pay doctors and dentists more when they treat low-income patients. But it’s unclear if the money is achieving a related purpose: getting more medical providers to accept the government’s health plan for the poor. The Department of...
California Must Make Use of ‘Renewable’ Natural Gas. Here’s How.
After significant success in other sectors, California is getting serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions from one of the hardest areas to decarbonize: heating in homes, businesses and industrial applications. To ensure success, flexible policy making is required. Californians are familiar with green technology. Solar panels, wind turbines, and electric...