WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a long-overdue, $209 billion bundle of bipartisan spending bills Thursday, but a bitter fight over funding demanded by President Donald Trump for border fencing imperils broader Capitol Hill efforts to advance $1.4 trillion worth of annual Cabinet agency budgets. The 84-9 vote sends the measure...
Why California Should Close Failing School Districts
School has begun for the 40,000-plus students of Sweetwater Union High School District. But the district’s crisis never ends. Sweetwater rarely makes the statewide news, but it’s California’s largest secondary school district. Sweetwater's high schools and middle schools serve oft-forgotten communities near the U.S.-Mexico border—Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City,...
Why California Should Close Failing School Districts
School has begun for the 40,000-plus students of Sweetwater Union High School District. But the district’s crisis never ends. Sweetwater rarely makes the statewide news, but it’s California’s largest secondary school district. Sweetwater's high schools and middle schools serve oft-forgotten communities near the U.S.-Mexico border—Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City,...
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...
A Perfect Storm Makes Wildfires Bigger, More Costly To Control
Hopes for fewer large wildfires in 2018, after last year’s disastrous fire season, are rapidly disappearing across the West. Six deaths have been reported in Northern California’s Carr Fire, including two firefighters. Fires have scorched Yosemite, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Sequoia and Grand Canyon national parks. A blaze in June forced...