Gabriella Choe has been a regular Amtrak passenger for the past four years, traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to see her parents. Before the pandemic, she rode the train nearly every other weekend. But as the pandemic worsens, her visits are now infrequent, and she doesn’t plan on traveling for...
Can California Protect COVID-19 Vaccine From Cheaters and Fraudsters?
What seemed like a Herculean task just months ago is now here: the COVID-19 vaccine. For the next several weeks, vaccines will be available in limited amounts in California and across the nation — and only to high-risk individuals, with supply expected to ramp up in the months to come....
What Does Poll Show About Vaccines, Mask Mandate and a Replacement for Harris’ Senate Seat
Californians overwhelmingly want Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint the best person possible to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat regardless of race or sex, and people are more overwhelmed by living with COVID-19 than they expected, according to a recent poll by Public Policy Polling. Though the governor wrestles with whom...
Some Lessons for Newsom and Democrats From the Last Recall Effort
Gov. Gray Davis made history on Oct. 7, 2003, by becoming only the second governor in the lifetime of the U.S. to be recalled by voters. The only other was a governor of faraway North Dakota in 1921. With Gov. Gavin Newsom now under threat of recall himself, Democrats would...
Opinion: How to Create an Easier Path to Climate Goals Through Electric Vehicles
California has led America’s climate fight by pioneering solutions here at home like cap-and-trade and tailpipe pollution reduction targets that the federal government and other states have adopted. We can once again play this role, paving the way for President-elect Joe Biden’s goal of building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations,...
COVID Tests Lagging: Slower Turnaround Times Creeping Back for Californians
Seven days a week, San Francisco’s public health laboratory operates until midnight. Workers are exhausted, their director says. And still, the COVID-19 specimens keep coming in their little plastic tubes, with test results expected quickly to help manage California’s alarming surge of infections. The lab was set up earlier in...
Opinion: Wildfire Prevention Deserves Long-Term, Dedicated, Continuous Funding
With every passing year, California continues to shatter records with devastating fire seasons, and 2020 is no exception. This year, the state has lost 4.2 million acres, approximately 9,000 structures, 31 lives, and fire season has not even ended. Gov. Gavin Newsom attributes these wildfires to what he calls “a climate damn...
Opinion: Playgrounds Are Essential for Children; California Was Right to Reopen Them
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week allowed playgrounds to reopen statewide. It was a reversal of a portion of the current health order that had shuttered playgrounds since Sunday. It was also the right thing to do – a decision based on both science and fairness. Decades of research show scrambling up...
Opinion: Blame Our Elected Officials, Not Our Teachers, for Schools Being Closed
Schooling has been an ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures harm families and students. Remote learning is less effective than in-person, especially for younger students. School closures require many parents to reduce work hours or leave the workforce entirely. Other than addressing the pandemic itself, the government’s top focus...
Midway Through Plagued First Term, Newsom’s Career Hits Make-or-Break Point
Speaking to the camera from his home office during the final days of a family quarantine, Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed at times to be giving himself a pep talk, as much as encouraging 40 million Californians to hunker down amid a coronavirus spike threatening to overwhelm hospitals. “We will get through this,” the governor said last...